The Girl Behind The Green Eyes
by BlackCoyote
Summary: Nilah is a new character who enters Marik's life during the tournament. She's smart, beautiful, but not to mention a fierce duel player. Yet,her role in this game has much more to it than meets the eye.Trying as hard as posssible not to make this a MaryS.
1. First Collision

_Nilah POV_

_"Ow!" she winced, snatching back her arm._

_He didn't let go. "I'm sorry," he whispered, slowly taking her arm back and treating it more gently. He was still upset. _

_"I still can't believe this," he murmured, speaking in just below a whisper. They were in his bedroom, cleaning things up in the bathroom. Her frail body sat on the sink while Anthony stood beside her finishing up with her bandages. _

_"It's all right," She forced herself to say. Her conscious told her she knew it wasn't true, but there was no way to accept it. The only person who knew what was going on was her brother and that was it. No one else could know. _

_"No, it's not," he protested angrily. "The other times were terrible. But this," he lifted her bandaged arm up. He couldn't even finish, preferring to rather shake his head instead. _

_"He said it was for the best of me," she said weakly. She didn't know why she was defending him, but his words had stuck with her. _

_Anthony glared at her. "I don't believe him, Nilah. He's a liar and you sure as heck should know that by now."_

_She looked down. She couldn't stand the sight of him when he was like this; at times it even reminded her back to their father who had caused this on her. "I'm sorry," she wound up saying. So pathetic. _

_He lightened up. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this soon." That's right. She could remember him explaining that once he turned eighteen he would instantly run away and bring her along with him. That had been the plan for several months now. Anthony was already seventeen and he needed just five more months to go. She couldn't wait until fall. _

_The thought of this made her smile. No more beatings, no more rituals that involved ruthless drawings and marks on her skin. She had already endured a large portion of it on her legs and arms. And, there was more to come from what her father often mentioned indicating once she herself turned eighteen that the most important ones were supposed to be drawn. _

_Anthony, though, was lucky. Because he was the boy, he didn't have to endure this kind of torture. It was all at the expense of the girl, their father always said to her. And because she was no boy she was the one who had to carry these incredibly painful marks. The worst thing about it, though, was the fact that their father wouldn't even tell her why? All these mysterious marks and drawings were on her for no apparant reason whatsoever. Either their father had a sick sense of humor or he was waiting to tell her about it after she turned eighteen. After so much talk about it, it seemed to be the most important year. Thankfully, for her, she had a good five years before that. _

_"Hold still," Anthony cautioned, taking her other injured arm. He ran it under cold water. _

_"Ahh!"_

* * *

The night danced in darkness as he drove through the city. Many people were still out, as late as it was, with streetlights as clear as day turned on. It was as if the city didn't sleep, he noticed, hearing and seeing all kinds of noise that was getting in the way of his inner-thinking. Marik's only concern was that he needed to get back to the warehouse and fast.

It started out as any other day, in the life of Marik Ishtar. Of course, that only meant total anarchy, and whatever it took for this young Egyptian to get what he wanted - no matter the cost or danger it challenged.

And to his dismay, things had not gone his way that day. Anger singed through his veins at the gruesome thought of failure. And again! He had lost once again against the Pharaoh thanks to his weak-minded servants. They had yet again proven how not to obey their master, and create another path for themselves straight to the shadow realm. It still wondered the young teen how pathetic so many people could be.

Thinking again to himself of the impatience and exasperation his mind slaves were causing him, he was non-too-careful nor alert when a sudden figure burst out in front of him. It caught him off guard, and if it wasn't for his cat-like reflexives, they would've surely collided.

Grasping onto the handle of his brakes as quickly as possible, and jamming the steering-wheel to an instant 90 degree angle, Marik slammed into the friction at an uncontrollable rate, and found himself instantly out of control and plummeting to the ground.

He hurt all over at the fall, his head hurting most of all. Rubbing the side of his head, he found his motorcycle landed on its side several yards away from him. Thank Ra they were on an abandoned street or his vehicle surely would've been dust.

The girl was standing in the middle of the street acting as if frozen into place. She wore a hooded cloak trying to conceal her identity, but Marik could tell from her figure she was a female. (And also because he had a good idea how most hooded people appeared) For a moment while Marik struggled back onto his feet, she stood like dumbstruck statue.

Eventually, the anguished teen found his voice. "You fool!" he shouted, in a mix of both pain and hate combined. "How dare you get in my way!"

She didn't appear to hear him as he shouted furiously at her. Instead, just before he was fully up, she automatically switched back into motion and strolled past him toward his motorcycle.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, eyeing her threateningly. She had reached his motorcycle, and lifted it up on its wheels. "Don't you dare," he hissed, clutching his arm that was now burning elaborately. He would've already run toward her and knocked her out of the way of his vehicle had it not been for, despite his arm, his left ankle too. It hurt like hell. His only hope now was that his voice would conquer her.

And what a failure it was when he watched her settle on top of his bike and turn the motor on. The loud roar erupted and he only knew now his verbal expressions were render useless.

Seconds before she took off, however, she glanced back at him, her hood fully concealing her face, and said, "I'm sorry." Her voice sounded frightened and guilty of her actions; on the other hand, her movements were swift and fully conscious. Looking back ahead, she went on her way down the street, the burst of his engine crying out even louder.

He gritted his teeth. Narrowing his eyes, Marik snatched the Rod out from out of its sheath and let his anger awake its power. Almost instantly, the bright light from which the Rod gave off glowed illuminously in the dark. And pointing his one and only weapon at the departing thief, he waited with a sneer to hear and see the girl have her own 'little' accident. (hey, he just wanted to return the favor.)

Unfortunately, his yearning anticipation was all for nothing. For some reason the power of the Millennium Rod wasn't working, as it bounced off into another direction diminishing into nothing. The figure of both his motorcycle and thief were quickly fading in to his view and he had instantly lost hope of any last chance of making a come back at the girl. The only thing that gave him the slightest bit of explanation for why his Rod didn't work was the second glowing shroud of sunlight that faded before he even got a chance to study it.

Then, in just seconds both his bike and the girl were gone.

**Well, what do you think? I'm usually terrible at making first chapters, but I think this one was pretty acceptional. I hope you all think so too! btw, the girl is Nilah so no confusions...And there's more to come about her soon. Don't worry, more is on the way. Holla! :D**


	2. Green Meets Purple

**I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters. **

**Ha, thanx so much for the reviews! :] Yes, there is some romance and things will spice up soon lol. Anyways, hope I can keep everything good and not disappoint. Enjoy!**

_Her shaky hand erupted on the door. There was so much thunder, so much lightning. She couldn't stand this kind of weather. _

_The door opened and Anthony appeared. He was merely pleased. "I was wondering when you would show." This wasn't uncommon. _

_He let her in his room and jump on top of his bed and under the covers. Yes, she was thirteen years old and still frightened of storms. She couldn't stand them period, much less in the middle of the night and all alone. During these times now, Anthony was open to let her stay with him. _

_"Thank you," she said once he got on his side of the bed. She felt so safe after he shielded his arms around her. It gave her a sense of security and protection against the storm and her incredible fear. She always thought highly of her brother for that, and all the nice things he did for her. _

_"It's no problem," Anthony whispered just above her head. Just then, a strike of thunder ruptured. _

_"Anthony?" Nilah asked, just after enduring a shiver down her spine from the noise. "I don't think I'm going to be able to go to sleep." Her voice was timid. _

_At that moment, he lifted his arms from around her and got up from the bed. Nilah watched him with wide eyes as he crossed the dark room and reached for something off the shelf. When he returned, she found it to be a book. He switched on the bedside lamp and turned to a certain place in depth to the story. _

_She read from the title. "The Supreme Duelist?" _

_"It's about an Egyptian king who was the best duelist player to ever live," answered her brother. He was still looking over the pages. "His name is unknown, but he was a famous Pharaoh who apparantly saved the world."_

_"Really? How?" she asked, curiously. All thoughts, if any, had vanished from the storm. "What did he do?"_

_That's when her brother laughed. "That's the thing, Nilah, no one knows. It's just like his name. He's as famous as that King Tut fellow, but just a little bit more mysterious to us all. We only know what we know from the locals who have been told stories from generations to generations about him._

_"This book here," he explained. "goes from an archeologists' point of view. He goes throughout Cario looking for signs of the famous pharaoh. At the moment, he and his partner follow a map and find something interesting in the adventure."_

_"That sounds interesting," Nilah's craving eyes now skimmed down the endless rows of words. _

_"Hold on, I'm still looking for the right page." While, he busied himself through more pages, Nilah was no more ready to feel the affects of slumber than once her brother began reading aloud in a peaceful voice. _

_

* * *

_

The sun set high during this time of day. It was a beautiful day, in fact, for dueling. Watching from an audiences' point of view, the tall green eyed girl drank from a water bottle while watching an intense duel play.

Two guys stood apart from each other fighting it out with their cards. A tall, older duelist was in the lead playing several powerful monsters. While, on the other side his opponent was young for his age and settled for a few puny monsters in defense. Nilah never underestimated her opponents whenever she played the game and that was just the older duelists' weakness. He was rowdy for an adult, and absurdly obnoxious towards the little boy who didn't backfire a word of scorn back. Little did they all know, once they approached closer to an ending, that there was more to the young duelist than met the eye.

The crowd gasped once a trap card was summoned and one the older duelist came to regret. He hollered in denial about the trick he had just stepped in, and found himself in just seconds down to an empty zero points. "Yeah!" Cried the little boy who jumped up with a hand punched upward in the air.

It didn't matter how young or old you were when it came to playing the game of duel monsters, Nilah always thought. The game didn't descriminate on anything, but your knowledge and skills for the game. If you lost you lost and that just meant one needed to improve on things. It was that simple, yet most never thought of it that way.

Nilah had seen enough. Throwing her empty bottle of water in the trash, she skipped on over to her ride and tossed a helmet on before escaping on the road.

Oh how this thing made her feel great, Nilah felt once zooming through cars and lanes with ease. Sure, she felt a little regret for taking it from the sappy teen, but things could've been worse. At least, that's how she tried to think of it.

She had gone through several minutes of joy and excitement, when she suddenly picked up on a sound she felt had stayed with her a while too long. Glancing in her rear view mirrors, she found the sound belonging to another motorcycle on her path. The rider was picking up speed once she noticed him, and that's when she got a hunch of something foreboding.

_Oh crap! _Out of instinct, she jerked the handle back and swirved to the far left crossing passing cars and people with just barely hitting anyone. _There can't be no way! Unless he has some kind of tracking device on this thing or something? _Nilah had no time to think now as she found the following bike on its way gaining speed behind her. It was a game of cat a mouse.

_Well, guess what?_ her destructive mind thought with pleasure. She was now seeing something that could help her out. _This mouse isn't going down without a fight. _

A gigantic truck entered her sight suddenly and the idea just hit her like instinct. She narrowed her eyes on the target, not anxious at all about the consequences. Then squeezing harder on the gas pedal, she headed straight ahead down the abandoned street in which the truck blocked.

_This will teach you to follow my ass, moron_, she thought with devious joy. Finally, after passing the risking stage nearly four blocks ago at the speed she was zooming, her instant reflexes kicked in and - like what the boy did the night she stole his bike - she made a quick swirve out of the way and into the side of the road where most cars would park at. Creating several dark circles on the pavement, she was actually awfully impressed with herself to have done such a thing without as much as a scratch. (on herself, she meant)

Meanwhile, the accomplishment escaped her once the sound of a roaring motorcycle struggled to follow the same path as she did. The rider made a shaky approach to the large truck and Nilah was sure he wasn't going to achieve the same successful fate as she.

It all happened so fast then. She didn't even have it in her to look once his bike got too close to the truck. Her eyes closed shut and she shuttered once hearing the piercing sound of a bike sliding into the ground and a body along with it.

It was an abandoned street like she remembered, so the area was just containing her, the Rider, and the driver who was Ra knows where. No headlines today making this a story. . .

Then, catching the sound of the Rider swearing, she jumped off her bike, removed the helmet from her head, and strolled over toward him. She was half-distraught from seeing the guy - she had already hurt once - get hurt again because of her. The other half was furious with the guy wondering how the hell someone could be that stupid to do such a thing when it was likely they couldn't.

Standing over him now as he struggled to remove the bike from under his leg, she watched him with crossed arms. "What the _hell_, were you thinking? Did you really think it would be simple or something?"

The boy didn't even seem phased by her infuriation once he caught her before him. "You!" He hissed. With determination, he struggled himself onto his feet and glared at her loathingly with a pair of violet colored eyes. She was amazed he was able to stand.

"I'm shocked you're not dead right now," she said matter-of-factly, observing him from top to bottom. There were tears here and there on his clothes and he was covered in scratches. "You know it makes sense to wear a helmet." Although, a part of her thought she saw him wearing one before. It must've fell off once he crashed.

"The nerve of you, you fool!" The boy exclaimed, removing something from his belt and raising it in a threatening position.

Observing it for just a second - and realizing just what it was - Nilah froze. It was unmistakably clear what it was whether because of the gold plated surface or the Eye of Horus incrusted on the object. He was pointing it at her, and she didn't know whether to be intimidated by the boy - or its power?

After revealing just a fraction of her fear, she finally got ahold of herself and glared even more furiously at the boy. "You _idiot_! Do you have any idea what that thing can do? Put it away!" She made a move to snatch it from his grasp.

Just an inch away from it, it was too far off once the boy reacted to her movement and pulled it back just in time away from her grasp. After just enduring a dangerous accident, he was awfully aware and swift in his movements.

"Of course, I know what this can do, you thief. And, probably_ a lot_ more than you do, might I add," he retorted. "And, no - I wont put this away. In fact, I'm going to use it to my advantage to get my bike back and teach you the lesson about stealing other peoples' things." He rubbed the surface of his Item. "_Nobody _pulls a fast one over me and gets away with it!"

"Well, I hope you have an alternative to teaching me that lesson because the Millennium Rod wont work," Nilah stated in a matter-of-factly sort of tone. Not to mention, despite his hostility and contempt for her, she found him oddly amusing. He acted so angry and mean, yet every time she spoke she made him look ridiculous.

It was his turn to scowl, and hers to take that in as her sign to smirk. Holding onto his hateful glare, she raised her own forearm to reveal her own weapon.

The Millennium Bracelet.

Watching his face fall and drain of all color was more priceless than the idea of winning the lottery. She could tell he was curious after failing to get back at her while using his Rod last time, but he didn't know how. Now, here was his answer.

"That-that can't be," The boy struggled to say in utter disbelief. After staring at it for nearly a minute, he was still attached to it. He had dropped his Rod and lost all awareness.

"Now, now," Nilah said sweetly, stepping closer to the astounded boy. He was just slightly taller than her. "We can discuss all about this soon." Her eyes cut to his arms and hands where they began to drip indescreet amounts of red blood. "But, first, we're going to have to take care of this." He winced at the poke of her touch. (She had touched a bruise.) Plus, it seemed the only way to surely get him back from that speechless stage.

"Now let's go." Unknowingly, she clasped on to his arm and dragged him in a direction he was not sure of. "It's not that far off and we'll be done before you know it." She glanced over at the bikes. "And, don't worry about your bikes. That truck will be there for hours."

"Huh?" Marik hadn't had a single thought once about those bikes after he saw the Bracelet. The fact that she had it was outstanding and unbelievable. How ironic was it that the one person who could put one over this Egyptian was someone holding another Millennium Item. And, the rarest of them! It was said the Millennium Bracelet had been lost for centuries and here it was now on the arm of a girl who was dragging him off down some shabby roadway.

Wherever they were going, it didn't matter, Marik soon figured. All that was important, was the fact that the person holding the rare Millennium Bracelet was here and in his grasp.

**Good? Bad? ****I did the best I could. **

**Holla!****


	3. A Special Offer

**I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters. **

"There," she said finally, releasing him from her hold.

He didn't feel more relieved in his life. (even after his initiation, it was nothing compared to this.) He stood up from the sink half stiff and feeling as if he had just been beaten all over. His head hurt, his limbs ached, and he just realized there was a large stitch now imprinted on his leg. Part of him wondered how the hell he could make such a deep cut - and then another speculated on how much this girl could know about treating wounds.

He watched the impeccable girl as she now stood back on her feet and fled to another room. Aapparently, expecting him to follow her, Marik stepped outside the small bathroom and found himself wandering into a normal-looking living room. Everything seemed pretty ordinary - and quiet - until he heard a noise off to the side.

Cutting his eyes to his left, he found a kitchen connected to the living room, and his thief pondering over an unopened carton of milk.

"The name's Sahar," she said, once pouring a portion of the liquid in a glass. "Want some?"

This was the time to start talking, Marik felt once approaching closer to the deranged girl. And she was asking him if he would like some _milk_? He absolutely could not understand this female. The worst of it all, in addition, was the fact that he couldn't even use his Rod to find out.

"I didn't come here to drink milk," he said once she passed him a glass of the white liquid . He had the urge to throw it out the window. "I'm hear to know more about how you got ahold on that Bracelet and get my bike back!"

"Careful," she said in a warning, yet teasing tone, "you get any angrier and that stich of yours might tear off. And I am _not_, fixing it back up for you."

"Don't tell me what to do," he argued, but the thought of her words stuck with him. "Besides, I could've gotten by without your help anyhow." He raised his chin up high.

Sahar put the carton of milk up. "Sure," was all she said. Then, facing him again, she leaned over the kitchen counter and placed her chin right under her hands. The girl was like a cat watching a mouse with muse. "Now, tell me again what your name was. I didn't catch it."

_That's because I never _told _you_, Marik's first thought was, but nevertheless he told her his name.

"Marik," she repeated with a spark of interest. "Nice name."

_I could say the same to you_, he thought, but didn't think it would be smart to avoid the real subject. Hell, she was probably just saying all that to do exactly that!

"Look, I want you know to tell me how you got that Item," he said with a firm tone. "And, I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"Oh, that'll break me," she mocked, walking around the counter to sit in a tall stool in front of it. She was closer to him now, and spinning childishly around in the seat as if this was all a joke.

He crossed his arms. Yes, what he had threatened was true, but he couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought of his bikes still hanging around on the street.

_No bother_, a sudden thought sparked. He had almost forgotten about his servants. Giving it a second to order some puny Rare Hunter to pick up his possessions, he went right back into the subject with Sahar. Of course, she was still spinning around in that chair.

"You're baffle me, you know that right?"

She stopped spinning. Then, studying him with a curious expression, she asked, "Are you any different, Mr. Ishtar? Because, from what I know I don't know that many people who would go to enough trouble to track someone to the point where they come out like you." She gestured the incredible amount of bandages and bandades covering his body as an example.

"Says the thief, herself."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Do you want to know more about this Bracelet thing or not?" Her voice was careless, but even Marik could pick up on an inch of anxiety rising up.

That's when Marik himself smirked. "That's why I'm here, aren't I?"

She gave him a raised eyebrow, but carried on anyway with no distractions. Unveiling the Item once again from her sleeve, she answered, "This has been mine for years. My father gave it to me. I already know all the stories and myths said about the Items. But," she eyed the Rod in Marik's hand again with much wary, "I didn't believe any of those things until now."

"Where did he get it? Not many comes across such things - even in the Black Market." He would know, of course.

"In the Black Market?" she asked doubtfully. "Yeah right, this thing has been with my family for generations. I don't know how long, but for centuries. It's in pretty good shape though."

"Oh really?" He said with also his dip in doubt. "Well, you wouldn't have a problem telling me what you know about the Bracelet then?"

That's when she stood up and walked over to the large window across the room. She viewed the outside city below, and it wasn't until that time Marik took a moment to observe this female crook.

Really studying her throughout that time, Marik would be lying if he said so she was ugly.

The girl stood tall at close to his height and had a waist as thin as his. She had a mop of hair that swept over her shoulders and waved delightfully in warm curls. Everything about her was dark. Her hair was jet black and her tan was close to a deep brown color, yet still bright and pleasant. The only thing soft and calm about her entire appearance would have been her eyes. So beautiful, was his first thought once really taking a moment to view them. They were a bright green color that shined like that of a pure emerald. He had never seen such green eyes on a person before and never ones so fair.

He was caught off guard when she finally spoke. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "I said, now it's your turn, you big brat. Tell me the whole story behind your Rod now. What does it do? I can't remember its power."

Marik snorted. "Sure. I'll tell you." He joined her by the window following her past stare beyond the city life below. "But, I want _you _to make a deal with me first."

Sahar observed him steadily at that presise moment, probably trying to desipher any hidden strings or false conclusions. Then, she said, "It had better be a pretty damn good deal, Blondie - because I've got terms."

"Terms?" he questioned. "I got the impression that you were just a carefree being. You're not worried about the parents getting involved, are you?"

She laughed. "Yeah right. This isn't even my place, I'm just using it out of convience for the time being."

"So you're a runaway?" All the more merrier.

"You can say that. . .I guess. And what about you? From what I see your mother doesn't even make you get a haircut."

Marik frowned. "So you're free," he assumed, ignoring the insult. "Good, so you have plenty of free time for this opportunity."

"What opportunity?" She met his gaze.

"I have an offer for you. Because of that Item you possess, I'm going to be especially kind to you - even though, under the current circumstances I usually wouldn't - and ask you if you would like to be apart of my plan?"

Sahar folded her arms, looking at him - for once - seriously. "What does this _plan _involve?"

He twirled the Rod around carelessly in his hand. "Do you know anything about Duel Monsters, Thief?"

She nodded, obscurely. "So what?" she asked, still trying to put two and two together. " Am I'm gonna be apart of the Battle City Tournament or something?"

Marik smirked. "I hope you can play the game well."

She returned the smirk. "Lucky for you, I am actually rather good."

His smirk grew wider. "Excellent."

**Hey another update. Yes, 'Sahar' is really Nilah. More to come on why later. Anyhow, how you enjoyed and review! :D**

**Holla!**


	4. So It Begins

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

"NO!" Cried the distorted voice that belonged to the awkward punk figure. His eyes lost all its life and faded quickly. No more than a minute after his defeat in the duel, his body was on its knees and no longer moving.

At that moment, Nilah wasn't pleased with what she saw. After witnessing that intense duel, it was clear the Pharaoh was not someone to mess with. Even after the clever strategy Marik played through with, it wasn't enough against the short duelist. And although she would never admit it, she was actually hoping for Marik to win. Often, as she would play, she would act like it would never matter in the world to her. Especially, with the Egyptian God card at stake. She didn't once worry at the advantage of that card that Marik would fail. Yet, as the small kid, who was Kaiba's brother, picked up the card from the losers' deck - and gave it to Yugi - it seemed they were all wrong.

Poor Marik, she would say in her mind, but never aloud. What a disappointment this will be. But, whatever was a disappointment to her would be an absolute outrage to her new partner. Great. Now she'll have to hear it from him for a week.

They never mentioned this to her once she agreed to this insane plan of his. His Rare Hunters, nor his brother. Nope. The only reason she had even agreed to go along for the ride was the chance to do something. (That, and if she didn't he would've called Child Services on her - not something she would've wanted) Besides, she had been slipping up for some time now, and she figured later on that this idea of his would keep things interesting. She was all for making things enjoyable - for her, at least.

Watching, the three boys now, Nilah tried to take it to her advantage to pick up some new notes about each male. She would need to know as much as she could about them eventually if she was going to be meeting them all soon. One couldn't go empty-handed. She would have to create a new person within herself and appear open to them all. With her talent, she should be able to hook up with some of the duelists, but the most important ones were standing in front of her right now. The ones holding the rest of the Egyptian God cards. She would have to befriend them first, at all cost. Marik demanded it - but, she was really only consent with hoping to grasp on to something more than friendship. It was only something to hold on to what she qualified under 'interesting', and hopefully bring her a good time.

At the moment, though, the two older duelist were talking it out with obscure expressions and dead serious eyes. For a good bit of time they just stood there over the unconscious body that was the punk. Nilah found this quite a downer. She was wanting something more up-to-date exciting or mind-blowing. Instead, she received only sullen conversations mute to her range, and eyes as sharp as daggers. What a disappointment.

Then, just when she was starting to be overthrown with dull boredom, (and leave) something not-so-great happened. To her surprise, when sneaking one last view at the group, the young boy was meeting her solid stare with a pair of blank eyes.

Oh Ra. . .

Frozen into place, the green-eyed girl was hoping dearly for him to be looking at something or someone else. And if not, then hope to sweet Ra she would be able to convince him he was only seeing things.

It didn't work. He moved his mouth and a hand raised up pointing into her direction. Damn it! Once seeing two pairs of suspicious eyes, she fled. She ran as far and as fast as she could go, knowing by heart that this wasn't supposed to happen. And if she was by some chance seen, her whole identity and plan to portray a false character would be ruined. This made her relieved to be wearing the purple cloak, Marik had given to her as a part of his clan. And with the shadows to blend in, it was almost impossible to make out her full appearance. But that still didn't save her if they followed her.

Crossing a busy highway, she stumbled into a narrow alleyway, hoping to lose them. But, they were right on her tail no more than a few dozen yards away. Her heart racing, she veered into another section of an alleyway, this one more dark and dreary. Fortunately for her, there wasn't a dead-end and the light speck that was ahead of her was another crowded street of civilians. Reaching it in just a few minutes, an idea sparked her mind. Dashing onto the edge of the sidewalk, she threw her cloak off, and dumped it on the nearest object she could find; a fence.

Then spinning around, Nilah walked back in the direction toward the alleyway. Predicting it perfectly, a gang of three teens popped out from the same realm of shadows she had no more than a few minutes ago burst out of.

Stopping suddenly, she took a moment to study the odd gang of people as if they're instant appearance had stunned her. Then, catching Kaiba's eye, she said very hesitantly, "Kaiba?" She was sure to weave a tone of confusion and insecurity through her voice. What a character she had planned!

However, the personality Nilah had developed didn't seem to phase the infamous Seto Kaiba in the least. He glared daggers at her, and demanded quickly, "Where's the person who just came out of this back alley?"

Playing in a wondering state, she scrunched her eyebrows together and looked behind her down the everlasting-street filled of walking passerby's and strangers. "I saw someone going that way," she answered innocently, turning back to them. "They looked like they were in a rush."

"Good enough for me," Kaiba muttered, breezing past her with the small boy right behind him.

It was only the Pharaoh who thanked her kindly before proceeding on after her false direction.

_Well, that's a relief_, Nilah thought feeling a huge wait of anxiety lift from her shoulders.

Going back to retrieve her cloak, she headed back in her original direction down the alleyway, finding herself actually lightly pleased with the chase.

Little did they all know that this was only the beginning.

* * *

_"This belonged to your mother," he told her, attaching the beautiful piece of jewelry to her wrist. "Ever since she was your age, she never took it off."_

_And now it was on her, Nilah thought sadly feeling somewhat of a crook for stealing it like this. "And now, the initiation proceeds on to you, my daughter." Her father stepped back to observe the new owner of the Millennium Bracelet. _

_Innocently, the young girl ran her fingers down the smooth surface of the shiny Item, and felt for once a sense of pride about herself. The feeling that she was taking something that wasn't rightfully hers faded, and the thought that there was more to this object than just her mother came about. After hearing what her father said, how could one not? She felt like she was finally fulfilling her duty as a member of this family, and enduring all of those painful markings now for a _reason_. A new perspective emerged, explaining that perhaps her mother might have even liked for her to have had it. _

_She was the key to continuing their destiny and the prophecy involving the Pharaoh. Her father was only making sure she fulfilled it, and she was slowly starting to accept him for it and the terrible rituals that came along. _

_"Don't move," her father said now in his familiar, yet tedious warning tone. _

_She gasped._

_Feeling her eyes water, there was an impeccabe sear of pain now piercing through her upper arm. Blood splattered, flesh was sliced, and Nilah was witholding the urge to scream out in pain. _

_Both her limbs were bare - and they were soon to meet the same unruly fate as all the others who went through it before her. _

**Disturbing ending, huh? Everything is pretty dramatic, yes, but some happiness will come up eventually. Like Nilah said it was only the beginning. Mwaha ha ha. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed and I reeaally appreaciate reviews. :D ****Holla!**


	5. The Next Challenge

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

It hadn't been long until the next step of the plan had been played. Turning from the ocean view, she walked down the steps of the yacht, and toward the questioning people in front of Marik.

One was a boy around their age, with a blue and white shirt, and a shaggy head of blond hair. The other was a girl also about their age with a short brown hair, and an incredibly perky girl outfit. Together they both carried a pair of dark, fearful shadows hovering about each of their eyes; a clear sign they were under Marik's control.

"Ah Sahar," he said now, smiling before his two zombies, "Do you like my new recruitments?"

Giving the blond boy another glance, she smirked. "I like the blond." He was tall, handsome, and interesting; a major necessity in catching Nilah's attention - if she would say so herself.

But, Marik wasn't so pleased. Frowning, he declared, "They're the Pharaoh's friends - the one weakness I know he has." There was clear sense of bitterness in his tone of voice.

This made Nilah very delighted.

"Aw, did I make you jealous?" She couldn't help, but tease. "Don't worry, Marik. _I _think your cute too." She stifled a laugh.

He ignored her. "They'll be here any minute now. You better leave unless you want them to see you."

_Aw, I made him mad_, she wanted to say, but resisted reluctantly. Might as well not insult his intelligence. "I guess," she agreed with a shrug. "Don't want that to happen." Turning back to the possessed boy, she waved at him admiringly. "Bye Handsome!"

Then, strutting confidently, she left back for the yacht, leaving Marik, absolutely, fumed.

* * *

At least an hour had passed since everything. Nilah was leaning against the rail of the yacht, while witnessing as much of the duel as she could. It was a horrible view from where she stood, but it was the safest she could find, not wanting to experience last time's incident. Meanwhile, Marik wasn't that far off on the yacht going through the duel just below them. While she was outside on deck, he was inside taking full control of the blonds' body. (The one whom she met earlier.)

She wasn't sure if it was just to get back at her for her teasing him or not, after learning that one of two of the duelers (one of them being the blond) was going to die. With the trap Marik had set up, it was key for the Pharaoh to be the victim, but whether his host's body turned out to be fish food or not, it didn't concern him in the least, she knew. He was the bait, and a very significant one from how well things were going.

_This would be more interesting if _I _was actually there! _She wined pathetically to herself. She so deeply wanted to sneak herself closer to the action, and see all that was going on. She wanted to witness all of the expressions and reactions to each turn and outcome. It would've been amazing to actually hear and see one of the most interesting duels yet! She had told Marik this not long ago, before he took full control of the guy's body. But, his only answer was that there was sure to be more dueling in the semi-finals, which she herself was destined to enter.

There was no doubt, she was a good duelist, and had as much skill on her hands as she did with on a motorcycle.

She had already earned four locator cards, and was certain to earn the other few shortly later. In fact, she had might as well get them now, considering the rising boredom in this event. Marik had tried to tell her this earlier, but she wouldn't have it. It was just the thought of seeing another duel with the legendary Pharaoh that had grabbed her full attention and interest. If only she could have a chance to challenge _him_. Just from how much skill he seemed to possess, she was in wonder of how long and how well she would do dueling him.

Deciding to think about it later, a thought rushed over her head about Marik. For an obviously mad and devious young teen, he was okay. Sure, he had a complex mind when it came to developing traps and plans, and could even be a little cold-hearted ass sometimes. But, in a way, he was good in other ways-maybe not on the outside, but deep down she could see that there was something somewhere.

A thought crossed over her about his past. He never mentioned it. Except for his brother, Odion, she had no knowledge whatsoever about any other relationship or connection to his past. Hmm.

Of course, she neither, spoke of her past. She kept it dark and obscure, a buried secret she hoped never to reveal. Thinking openly, maybe that was the exact same reason Marik kept his silent.

If so, she couldn't blame him.

Looking back at the windows to the inside of the yacht, Nilah spotted vaguely Marik sitting in a chair with a look of deep concentration on his face. His mouth moved lightly with each minute, but what he was saying she had no idea. She hoped he was doing well.

However, that didn't exactly mean she wanted him to win. In fact, she wasn't even sure she wanted him to now. It was complex reason why, and she couldn't explain it.

_Ugh, might as well get those locator cards_. At the moment, it felt more like a chore than a thrill. Sure, she could've just let Marik handle it, but she wanted to do it herself. It wasn't because she would have her choice set on rare cards to collect, but also she would be able to acknowledge herself as a true finalist in one of the most popular dueling tournaments ever to occur.

And so she got on her heels, and strolled down the steps to the wooden platform. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was out, the wind was up, and the sky above was a bright and calm light blue. Such a kind and peaceful day one might say if it was any kind of minor or convenient day. Taking one last glance back at the vigorous duel to the side, it was anything but the bright and beautiful moment that they were now prospering through. An instant argument or protest, in fact, had started to go on.

Someone screamed.

Secretly in her mind, Nilah took the time wish the ancient Pharaoh who was in the midst of that unspeakable turmoil luck.

_You'll need it, _she thought_._

How he would be able to pull this one off still stumbled her to this minute.


	6. It's Time

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

It was a brand new day, and a brand new chance to complete their mission. Sitting on the bleachers of the ginormous stadium outside Domino City, sat her clever, Egyptian partner, Marik, and Nilah herself watching the two Kaiba brothers discuss important matters.

She wore a new outfit of hers that she was pleased to had put together in just a minimum amount of time. Past her elbows wove dark arm gloves that seamed nicely and perfectly under her Millennium Bracelet. As well as her arms, her legs were also covered up with a pair of long black laced leggings that reached all the way up her beautifully sculpted legs - along attached with a peculiar pair of knee-high leather boots. Further up, adorned a tight-fitted jacket that shaped her silhouette well, and covered a crew-neck shirt and chic, wool, mini skirt underneath. (Not to mention, her Millennium Bracelet.) The only thing that was needed lastly was a sturdy strap of leather woven around the entire section of her waist. And with her figure, obtaining such a narrow shape, a sash only made it the finishing touch.

To her satisfaction, the ensemble was an exact eerie and dark reflection of herself, and added greatly to her personality. Not that she needed much of any confidence, personality was key in this situation. She was finally going to meet the famous group of friends, duelers alike, including the great and ancient Pharaoh.

The time had finally come, and she was looking forward to it eagerly.

After only vaguely hearing what Marik was telling his brother about the identity switch they would all be playing, Odion was going to be taking Marik's place in the tournament. He would play the real 'Marik Ishtar' while his brother played some friendly duelist the group of friends had already come to know and befriend. With his solid rep, there was no chance any of them would expect the actual astonishing twist.

As for her, Nilah was to be some horrendous cocky girl who flirted her way to the hearts of others. Her identity wasn't much different from that on a normal basis, but when she was about to meet people who hadn't really ever met her what did she have to hide? It wouldn't be that hard to befriend the Pharaohs' friends, of course. After studying Kaiba for several days, though, she knew it would be a challenge just to get him to accept her. _If _that was even possible or not, they would soon see.

Their jobs were all different. Marik was to gain the trust of everyone there and appear less involved with his normal self so that there were no suspicions. It was an act Nilah couldn't wait to see, as a matter of fact. Then, Odion was to pull off an impressive act as the sick weasel Marik Ishtar in the flesh. Finally, Nilah herself was, like she said before, there to pull some strings, play with the minds of others, and dig up as much dirt on them as she could.

"Look at that fool," Marik's crisp, yet dark voice stated smoothly. "Soon he'll become a pawn in his own pathetic game." He was referring to the tall, serious young man Nilah had come to know as Seto Kaiba.

"That's right, Marik." She could almost picture Odion's firm face nodding. The young man was standing just above them with his cloak and hood on, and sustaining a stone-cold look of loathsome across his face. She knew, however, even without looking at him, that it was all just an act.

_I wonder if he's as serious as he is on the inside as he is on the outside_, Nilah wondered, observing Kaiba's traits more proficiently. It wasn't until she noticed Marik's lavender eyes gleaming on her that she realized she had said what she thought aloud.

Silently stunned, his next sentence beat her to it. "You'll have plenty of time to find out during the semi-finals," he said amazingly obscure. He was avoiding her gaze, and watching the ground floor below as a helicopter suddenly approached.

"You've got that right," she said, this time smiling. "I'll be sure to dig a lot into his background." And she meant it too. After spending several hours of her time spying on all these individuals and their lives, it was her time to take the next step and start to socialize with them, get to know them, and all the rest.

Enjoying the moment for only another mere ten seconds, Marik's voice surprisingly shuddered her.

"It's time."

* * *

In the shadows, again, she waited. Marik and Odion had both already revealed themselves to the awaiting duelists. She could hear just from the entrance the gasps and cries as a response to their appearances. Taking notes of this, it made her wonder how they might all would take to her presence. _Only one way to find out. _

Taking a deep breath, she moved her legs forward.

At first, she didn't know how to take their reaction to her. One second she didn't care, the next she was self-conscious. Giving it another second, however, her true self in disguise emerged.

"Wow," she said astoundingly, and then whistling. "I had no idea there would be this many people in the semi-finals." Approaching closer to the gang of friends, and the accepted new member 'Namu', she smiled innocently. "Hey, are you all" she trailed off at the sudden glance of Yugi Mutou/the Pharaoh in front of her.

"Yugi Mutou?" she asked, trying to portray the impressed fan of a star dueler "Oh my gosh, you're the one who won first place at Duelist Kingdom!"

The small, yet adorable boy before her looked away embarrassed. She wasn't sure he was going to say anything until the cute, innocent person she thought he was matured greatly from the sound of his voice. "Yes. Yes, I am," he said kindly, his deep, friendly voice catching her by surprise. "I take it you are also one of the finalist here?"

She smiled widely. (Not the same smile she often handed to Marik more frequent then necessary, but a completely different one representing the kind, trustworthy character she played skillfully) "That's right! And I plan to make it to the finals too."

At the end of her sentence, he chuckled softly. Not as something showing how overly determined she sounded, but out of charm.

"Hey uh," a new voice came in, belonging to a tall, blond-haired boy around her age, "What's you name?" Standing near her, she caught his look of confusion. "I've got this feeling I've seen you before somewhere?"

This only made Nilah laugh. "Yeah, you probably have," she admitted with no difficulty. "I've been in plenty of duels so far for the last few days."

Holding her share of the required six locator cards, she was happy with herself. "I'm sure you heard about me some time ago. The name's Raine. Raine Herring."

Scratching his head, he still didn't appear to be having much luck. _You_ _will never remember_, she crooned, knowing how impossible it was for someone to break the magic off a Millennium Item. _So quit trying_. It annoyed her to some extent of how hard he was committed to finding out.

On the other hand, a sudden bit of realization struck her unexpectedly. This was the same guy who crumbled Marik's plan to pieces, and found a way through his manipulation. . . She can still remember the other day convincing Odion to tell her what had gone on that afternoon after she left to go get her locator cards. Marik was too furious that day to explain anything.

As a result, even though, it was near impossible to interrupt any of the Millennium Item's power, this guy here one was of the very few who could disrupt it.

Oh, was she in for it!

"What's your name?" she asked, keeping her kindly, welcoming voice warm.

"Joey Wheeler's the name," he said, holding a cocky, positive tone to his attitude. "And like my bud Yugi here I was also a finalist at Duelist Kingdom." He smiled boldly.

Obviously, he was the funny one of the group. And, completely unlike the kind of person she was expecting. She didn't have to wait, to already know that this was not only a cocky, aloof boy who probably ended up babbling on constantly about themselves, but was also a nice, cheerful guy who would have your back no matter what. It was strange to see someone with two entirely different concepts, but this one here proved quite interesting. And if that wasn't enough to grab her attention, his appearance surely was.

During the moment her new friend Joey took to introduce the gang to her, Nilah was caught off guard at the brief glance of Marik staring at her. He wasn't mad, as far as she could tell, but not happy either. This confused her. _Why's he gotta be such a good actor!_ Every time she glanced at him, she noticed each of his movements, gestures, and expressions, all going well with his new identity. But, who was to say she wasn't also? She was the one putting up the larger end of the act, and trying to dig deeper and deeper into the group with her strong, outgoing charm.

Getting carried away with herself she almost forgot about the friends. "So hey, Raine, are you here by yourself?" Joey asked, catching him just in time.

"I didn't think we were allowed to bring anyone," she answered, holding a tone of curiosity to her tone. Inside she was wondering just why he would ask that.

"Oh," he said, feeling the need to explain, "we can. See Tea, Tristan, and Duke, they're not in the finals, but are here anyway just to see _me _win!" He let out a loud burst of laughter.

Before-she could spot-the small wad of friends about to protest, a new voice came forth. "I'd like to see the day." The deep, mature voice held a bold seriousness only one person, Nilah knew, could achieve.

Joey's face hardened. "Hey, Kaiba why don't you mind your own business and leave us alone," he cried, glaring daggers at the rich prodigy.

Nilah turned sideways and found the tall, ruthless businessman/duelist to her left. He was taller than she expected, being so close to him. Over six feet at least. He wore an obviously expensive outfit, but leaning more towards his duelist fascination than his career. It was a rather large jacket that fitted him well, along with a black ensemble underneath acting as a kinda of gear of some kind. Not to mention, the duel disk gleaming stunningly from his wrist.

He looked down at Nilah with narrowed his eyes. Apparently, having ignored or forgotten Joey's presence, he addressed to her rather crudely, "If you plan on entering my tournament than you had better check in with my employees before you plan on doing anything." His tone was as bitter as spiked coffee. And unlike everyone else, he was the only one Nilah was needing to really look out for. Like she said before, he would be the most challenging to please.

Thinking of this (and not letting the insult get to her) she merely stared at him. Kaiba wasn't none too pleased to see this and clenched his teeth. Before he got a chance to speak his mind, Nilah beat him to it. "Seto Kaiba!" she gasped in awe. "What a surprise this is. I wasn't expecting to see you until later." Which was, honestly, true.

"Whether that's supposed to be a compliment or not, I don't care," he replied flatly. "Now either you check in with my attendant or get out. I don't need stalkers getting in the way of my tournament."

"Of course," she said approvingly, as if what he just said wasn't at all a huge slap in the face. "Anything for the guy who runs the show." Her eyes met his and it was like a blistering fight to the death. Kaiba had strong character and glared her down menacingly. He was clearly trying to make her see who was the alpha dog around here. He made all the decisions, and took down anyone who got in his way.

On the other hand, although his sign made it clear, Nilah was just as strong and driven. She may not have expressed it in the same pure cruelty as her opponent, but the strong-will was still there.

It was all like a poker game, in her opinion, or better, a duel match. One must always be cautious of their moves and faces, and any diminutive flaw could destroy their entire strategy. And so for this case, Nilah had to play _extra _tricky.

Keeping her gaze upon him once more, she started to move forward toward the guy in the black suit behind Kaiba. Nearing the supreme boss of dominance, she let go of her gaze, and was about to leave it at that when another spicy idea hit her head.

"Best of luck, _sir_," she murmured, with distinct, good-natured quirkiness. Especially with the word 'sir' she was excellent at creating the atmosphere between the two of them. Surely now, there was a palpable confusion and-best of all-interest in their newborn relationship.

She didn't think he would look back at her once she passed him, yet could picture a look of absolute hate across his face. Just the image she had formed in her head was enough to satisfy her. Everything was just right now, she felt, approaching the man in black.

"Hello," she greeted the private worker, who just happened to notice her.

"I'm the next finalist of the tournament." She held up her cards. "Raine Herring's the name."

She certainly liked playing with the fool of them all, Marik observed during their wait. Keeping himself amidst of the gang, he stayed quiet most of the time. And, during that time kept tabs on his partner as she had it with everyone.

"My gosh, Yugi," Her amused voice gasped. She held up her hands to her mouth for a more dramatic effect. "You're so _short_! And here I thought the great duelist who beat Pegasus, would at least be taller than me!" she chuckled, not in the least bit mocking, however pure humor.

The others caught it as well, joining in the joking atmosphere. Marik even gave off a brief chuckle, although it wasn't real. "I'm just kidding, Yugi," she said sweetly to him, and he shook his head. "I should know better anyways since there's a chance I might be up against you in the tournament."

Another wave of laughter beamed the air. Truthfully, the girl could act. And, being struck down in the middle of people she didn't know took a great bit of skill to pursue. She made jokes, behaved accordingly in a quirky humorous manner, and was the most outgoing of them all. No one would ever suspect her of being the sidekick to the Pharaoh's most loathed enemy. As for him, if she was going to behave in that order, than perhaps maybe he was needing to step it up a notch.

"Hey kid," a voice directed at him sounded. He looked at the person with curiosity and became even more surprised in a way. "I don't think I've gotten your name yet," Sahar said with interest as she approached him through the gang. Her expression was as unique and genuine as her acting skill.

"Oh yeah, that's Namu," he heard Tea reply for him.

"Yeah," Joey burst in, "he's a good guy. He helped us out not too long ago with our friend Bakura."

"Really?" She turned back to him full interest and surprise. "I would've never guessed. So did you also compete at Duelist Kingdom?"

When he answered no, and that he just started to get into the dueling world, she sounded amazed when she said, "Wow. That's so weird. Same with me!" And, separating herself from the group of friends, she babbled on to him about how it was really catching on with what had happened at Duelist Kingdom that first got her into Duel Monsters. He, being a careless person, could give a flip less about this story. However, just hearing the sound of her voice speaking to him, seemed to even it all out for some reason. There was just something about her that made him want to be more around her for some reason. And at this moment, it was just perfect.

_What are you doing?_ He questioned eventually during the middle of one of her long sentences. (they had agreed earlier to talk to each other this way over the course of others around) He had to get an idea of what she was onto, whether there was a lead to all of this or just a plain way to secretly annoy him.

She halted at her mid-sentence, and looked at him carefully. Smiling slightly, she thought, _Well someone's got to establish our relationship. We're best of friends, remember that, _she specified.

He wanted to question her further, but Kaiba's power-hungry voice broke in, directing them into the sudden blimp that was approaching them. _We'll discuss this later, _he declared moving toward the awaiting blimp. Everyone, but the tenth duelist had arrived. So far, it was Joey, little Yugi; Odion, the tall blond chick; Mr. Kaiba, Bakura; a short bug-obsessed nerd, Nilah/ Raine, and him/Namu. He wondered, just out of curiosity, who that tenth duelist could've been.

Whoever it was, though, apparently he would never know for Kaiba had no patience left to wait any longer and was telling them all to go on board the blimp or leave.

The guy was certainly always in a bad move.


	7. A buffet with Sahar

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

_Like an old-fashioned film recorder, the whole thing flashed before Nilah's eyes. She could see it all perfectly, and yet there was no way for her to entirely absorb it._

_"Nilah!" he cried, like a person did before they saw someone they loved close to facing death. A pair of bold arms plucked her off her feet and she looked up vaguely to see her brother running them out of the house. Massive bright and intense colors started to rise as they left - colors Nilah knew she would never be able to erase. Dropping her gaze behind them, she could just barely make out the dark shape now plopped on top of the floor. _

_She was so dizzy, so nauseated that she couldn't even make out the person laying back there as they left. "Don't look back," she heard instantly from the foreign, infuriation of her brother. They made it out the back door, and wandered several yards away from the burning house that was once theirs. _

_Nilah could hear the absurd sirens nearing closer to the home, yet could only think about how obsessively annoying the noise was. It made her head hurt more than it already was. She even complained about it to Anthony, but her brother didn't even seem to hear. He wasn't quite himself. Ever since he scolded her for her glance, he had remained silent to the point where Nilah was beginning to worry less about herself and more on her brother. _

_"Not now," he said when she whispered him the question._

_Right then, there was a loud explosion from behind that erupted and made Nilah scream. _

_It was from there that she knew now - as if the noise itself was a wake up call- that they were both now on their own. Their home was gone, their father was gone. They had no one left but themselves now. _

* * *

Once on board, they were all showed to a room of their own-at least the finalists. The others, whom he found to be awfully annoying tag-alongs, would have to share with their semi-final duelists friends. And that, to no extinct, would include him.

After getting comfortable in their rooms, they were all told to enter the grand room in the flying piece of transportation. Everyone, from who he could tell obeyed, when going into the large commons area of the contraption. And in there, he found not only a pile of duelist spread out, but tables of food dotted amongst the area. And not just any food, from what he glanced over out of curiosity. Five-star class varieties! If there was one thing you could count on Seto Kaiba for, it was a surely an expensive and enjoyable ride in luxury-and no cheap meals.

"Well are you gonna eat anything?" A sudden question asked from behind. He turned around to find his sidekick slurping down a hot-fudge sundae.

"It's passed dinner-time, and I know you haven't eaten anything since breakfast." she waited persistently.

"Must you be such a pain in the ass,"he hissed in such a low voice only the two of them were able to hear. He fixed an icy thin glare on her.

"Don't change the subject," she countered back somewhat stubbornly. "If you don't eat something, I'll just assume you're some kinda food-hater."

"Oh really?"

She shrugged. "That or an anorexic - but I thought only girls became those."

"How accurate is that?" he questioned. From the sound of her voice this was exactly what she was wanting.

"Because," she said in a tone clearly wanting or feeling was necessary to explain, "I've been living with you and you gang-for what-a week now, and I've hardly ever seen you take as much as a bite out of your food. I mean, it's no wonder you're so skinny! You're thinner than me practically!"

"Not by that much," he glanced at her waist. "And since when did you care about how much I ate?" He was more than happy with himself to have asked that.

This unfortunately didn't take Sahar by surprise. Sucking down another gulp of her dessert, she said, "If you don't know Mr.-I think-I-know-best-but-really don't, this is a tournament we're in. And if were by some chance against each other I can't have you passing out on me because you're low on fuel and starving yourself! Hello, this is why Kaiba has all this food out, duh!"

Catching a few of the friends approaching their scene, he had no other choice, but to agree. "Fine," he said bitterly, and grabbed a plate nearby.

"Hey what's going on?" He heard the blond male ask in curiosity. Marik could almost picture him looking from him to Sahar in suspicion.

"Nothing anymore," she answered curtly, and Marik found her by his side helping him decide what to choose. "Here, you need some meat on those bones," she picked off some barbecue ribs and turkey sandwiches, and placed them nicely on his ceramic plate.

"I can pick my own food, thanks," he said without even the slightest bit of sincerity.

Then, not looking at him, she whispered, "Play along." With a distinct, particular smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah right," she continued in a full conversational tone. "From what I see you don't eat any food. Or any with calories. Come on it's not gonna hurt. You wont gain any weight."

_Play along_, he thought consciously to himself. Giving it a try he said, "I guess not. You seem to be doing pretty well." He looked at her from top to bottom. Hmm, maybe this _wasn't _all too bad.

"Right." She didn't seem impressed."Oh, you guys need to try these!" And, there the scene went on with Nilah in control of the conversations, and keeping everything going along. After suggesting to Joey and Tea to try several different kinds of foods, she talked with them like regular friends and somehow separated herself from Marik. This, surprisingly, annoyed him.

Near the end of their eating experience, he spotted Odion off to the side alone to himself. He leaned on the wall, not eating nor doing anything, but waiting. He had overheard Joey mentioning him several times, and not good things either considering he had it out for the guy 'Marik'. In a way, he should've felt bad for his older brother, having to make him exploit himself to such bad views. On the other hand, nothing, honestly, could get in the way of his desire and his desire alone. Not even the feelings for his trustworthy brother could get in the way.

"The first contestants of the semi-finals in the Battle City Tournament," announced the man in a black suit, as he waited for the random set of numbers to settle, "are. . .Yugi Mutou!" At that moment a row of claps set off, giving him their props and best wishes.

A bit of eagerness took Nilah at that moment, in the wonder of if her number would be possibly chosen. If so, she knew, things would get especially interesting.

However, to her disappointment, that didn't happen. "Number 4!" The man announced loudly and clearly. "Ryou Bakura will be dueling Mr. Yugi Mutou in the first of the duels here in the semi-finals!"


	8. Flirting

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

Damn.

She took a glimpse of the boy off to the side with white hair and innocent expression. To others, he may have been seen as the sweet, innocent guy who couldn't hurt a fly. Or so, she had been told by her easily deceived new friends. But, Nilah knew better. Behind those angelic, brown eyes and under that pleasant expression, was yet another of her partner's helpers. The only interesting thing about him, though, was the superb act he could put on for a crowd. And, not to mention, a useful Millennium Item in his possession. She couldn't spot it at the moment, but she was sure he had it on somewhere about him.

Nobody left one of those things lying around.

Yugi had his around his neck, its unique beauty even an eye-catcher to her. Marik's was hidden, even though it puzzled her for quite some bit of where such an Item that size could be. She was sure Odion didn't have it, that was for sure.( The gleaming object that was displayed on the side of his trousers was only a mere-and cheap-copy of the original one) As for her, she kept hers nicely tucked under the sleeves of her jacket. The sleeves were voluminous so no one would suspect anything mysterious to be under there.

"The first game in the Battle City Finals will begin immediately," continued the announcer, in the same boring, dull voice, "in the stratus dueling arena. This duel will be played according to the Battle City rules and regulations." _I don't need to listen to this_, Nilah thought, swaying away from the group. Talk about boredom and a real snooze-fest. It's not like she needed to hear about all that _again_, she'd heard it just enough once, and didn't need telling again. Jeez, it was like at school and they explained the rules countless number times throughout the year. Annoying!

Besides, rules made things boring, too orderly and predictable. Luckily for her, Marik, Odion, even Bakura, and she herself were about to change all that.

"Hey, Raine," a voice called after her. She froze, surprised someone had noticed her absence. Turning around, she was faced with her blond-headed new friend. "Where're you going?" From the sound of his voice, he was curious.

"To get some more food, of course," she lied, coming up with a sudden answer quick and swiftly. "How can I skip out on food as good as this!" They were in the commons area again, so all Nilah had to do was pick up a plate and grab something to much on. (although she really wasn't that much hungry anymore) Joey was on her tail. "Ha, that's funny. What the heck, I'll get some more too." Trailing her down, he picked up a good amount of snacks and talked to her the whole time. This annoyed Nilah.

_A moment of quiet_, she thought, grabbing a bunch of food aimlessly, _That was all I was wanting!_In the meanwhile, Joey was just in the middle of a food-joke, when Nilah thought she saw someone.

"How old are you, by the way? Just asking," she heard Joey asked next.

Meeting his gaze, she transformed her expression. She stopped searching for snacks, and focused her inner bitter attention on this naive fool of a duelist. "How old do I look?" she asked, playfully, snaking a smile through her lips, as she was approaching closer to him leaving only a few mere inches between them both.

"Do I look older than you? Younger? Perhaps, we're the same age." She placed a dark index finger on the side of her face.

The boy couldn't hide the incredible awkwardness and confusion from the scene. His eyes grew wide with bafflement, yet he didn't take as much as a step back.

Masking her eyes into a deceitful gaze, she cocked her head ever so slightly and said with a falsely sweet and harmonious tone, "You know, you have beautiful blue eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?"

That caught him off guard. Instantly, his face went blank. Right then, he shut his eyes closed and started to rub the back of his head, tediously. "Haha no, I've never been told that before. But, thanks. You know, it's funny, I was thinking you were the one to have some pretty eyes."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? Well, how ironic is that, Mr. Wheeler?"

He reopened his eyes. "You can call me Joey." He smiled.

"Oops," she covered her mouth, appearing obviously embarrassed. "It seems my manners -"

"Hey Joey!" It was Tristan. "You coming, buddy?" He, along with the rest of the gang, were awaiting an answer.

"What were you saying?" He asked quietly, keeping his voice only loud enough for the both of them to hear. After Tristan spoke, he had stumbled back several steps away from the uncomfortable position his friend had put him in.

Nilah shook her head, allowing stands of her dark long hair to swing back and forth. "No, you go see you friend in the duel."

"Yeah," Joey answered back, returning back into his goofy old self. "Like I'd miss my pal in the first duel!" He was about to head off, when he stopped and turned around. "You coming, Raine?" There was a certain peculiarity in his tone. She could hear the sure friendliness with in it and a perhaps something more crawling up.

With a warm smile, she said, "Of course, Joey, I'll meet you all there soon. Save me a spot, will ya?"

Once getting rid of them all, another pair of footsteps didn't take long to approach her. She could sense it more than anything, yet she waited patiently for him to show himself. Meanwhile, she simply skimmed through the endless variety of food spread throughout the room. Once he stepped outside of the shadows, the first thing she could hear was his thoughts.

_What are you doing? _

The plate of snacks instantly fell from her hands and dropped to the ground and all over Nilah's feet. It was a mess but instead of dealing with it, the young teen whirled around shaping an unhappy expression on her face. Folding her arms, she narrowed her green eyes on her belligerent accomplice.

"_Don't _sneak up on me like that," she hissed. She didn't like being invaded by her thoughts.

Even after she had agreed to allow him into her mind, she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of this state of communication. Unlike her outside appearance and gestures, Nilah was completely contrary to her inner side. Inside, she was still the same girl she was so few years ago, and relentless. For a girl who was notable for her skills in acting, she failed at taming her own wild thoughts and emotions which roamed free at will.

That was why she lied to so many people. Because, no matter the effort it took to fool so many, she still couldn't bear the thought of revealing her true, insecure self. Instead, she kept it hidden from view in her mind, no matter how in closed and pressure-wised it could be. But now, thanks to the mind reading, she didn't even have the sweet luxury to do even that anymore. Her pathetic partner had made the opportunity to release her most intense thoughts and feelings dwindle into dust, and now she was left with no other way to balance out her two incredibly different personalities. The main thing she could do now was simply go through with the act she created and hope it all went smooth from there. . .

He stood there before her. They were the only ones in the gigantic room. And to her annoyance, he put on a pleasant grin. "I didn't scare you now, did I?" he teased.

The nerve of him!

All she wanted was to wring his neck, until she remembered she had to act smooth, confident, and deliberate. And showing her true emotions wasn't going to get her anywhere. She took immediate reign of her anger, and melted away any last sign of the fury plus her annoyance. Eventually stable, she returned his gaze. "Me?" she asked with false innocence. "Why yes, you _terrified _me" She literally slurred at the dark sarcasm in her tone. "Whatever will I do?"

His grin dropped into a frown.

"Aww," she said now sounding disappointed, while at the same time deciding to pull back her long dark hair into a ponytail, "Come on, you _scared _me. The least you can do is make me feel better." She chuckled.

"Stop with the foolishness," he shot back, now erased of any pleasure from this experience. "You've had your fun, now it's time to be serious."

Swaying her bangs back with an index finger, she pretended the word 'serious' was the last thing on her mind.

"So," she said now, approaching sharply toward him. Her stern eyes never left his. "Are you going to tell me why you were standing over there in the dark?" .

There was a spark in his bright lavender eyes. "That's for me to know and myself only."

"Oh really?" She asked, in-closing the mere space in between them both like she had done earlier with Joey. "Are you sure you weren't just spying on me back there? Or making sure I wasn't disobeying your orders?" She raised a thin arm just slightly to reach his light tanned face. Then brushing her dark hand against his cheek, she grinned. "Jealous maybe?"

There was only one reason why she was flirting with that incredible twit, Joey, and Marik was the precise reason why. He had wanted her to do her job, and well, she was doing it. Despite the fact that she held not even the slightest feeling for that blond idiot, it was well worth it to keep putting him on if it meant seeing a spark of dark fury and bitterness within her pathetic partner.

His words growled like thunder. "If you didn't posses that Millennium Bracelet, I'd swear on the behalf of Ra that I would have already corrupted that sick, twisted mind of yours!" His eyes burned against hers. "You're an outrageous pest, and when the time comes I wont need your help anymore."

The playfulness in her eyes was still there, but the sickening grin on her face had erased into a pressed tight line. Still, lightly touching Marik's cheek, she was slightly stunned that he hadn't removed it from her and she herself for doing the same.

Allowing a silent moment between them both to pass, Nilah said quietly, "I believe we have a duel to witness."

She dropped her hand from his face, and forced a hard smirk to take place on her expression when she offered him this time an open hand. _We'll_, she thought hoping the message got to him in this strange, and murky way of communication. As far as she was concerned this was all business, and it didn't matter in the least what their true feelings for each other were. They still had to behave like best friends for the crowd and work together like sadistic partners did.

He frowned at her at first. His arms were folded and he didn't look impressed. Then, once he himself got into his thick head the real picture of it all, a look of surprise seemed to hit him. Making an effort to grin himself, he then took her hand and walked with her to the awaiting elevator.

_Good choice_, was her smart remark back. Although, it was only meant for her her mind to process, it still seemed to slip through the boy's mind. He cleanched his teeth, but other than that said nothing.

**It took me a while to edit this one, I just hope it was a little bit interesting. Reviews would be nice:)**

**Holla! **

**B.C.**


	9. The Bond between Two Sadistic Genders

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

Hey readers who are on this chapter. I just wanted to say how much I deeply appreciate the viewers taking the time to read through this. I gave it my best this time around, even though sadly with many of these chapters prior I haven't gave it my all. Today I was aspired, though, so I hope you can read through and enjoy the new update as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really hope you can find it just as interesting as some of the past chapters. And, please, I would very much like to see reviews. Even if it's cristism I would like to hear what others think of the story. I haven't gotten but a few reviews from my first two chapters and want to hear how well or poor its going along now. I'm just winging at it with most of the chapters and would like some input on how I could perhaps improve it. Let me know! Please:)

* * *

"That was _brilliant_!" Nilah cheered like an excited small child. She felt like jumping up an down - which she did.

The two friends were walking side by side together down the empty, silent hall. Marik, who showed no thrill from the lost duel, was reflective of their path.

His emotions consisted mostly of complete bitterness; he still hadn't forgiven her for her prior attitude.

"Oh come _on_, Marik," she finally complained, waving her hands. Walking backwards, she stood in front of Marik, narrowing her a hard stare. "You can't stay mad at me forever. I'm not worth it." She forced a grin.

He only shoved it aside, before doing it physically to Nilah. She hadn't realized until he brushed past her that she'd stopped. "Just for the hell of it," she then said, watching him increase his distance from her, "what exactly are you mad at me for?" Sure, there were a lot of things Marik could have hated her for. Her lack of respect, seriousness, responsibility, etc. But, none of that was any different from the time before this whole semi-finals things occurred. It only led her to believe the only other source of it, which she was sure caused him to break.

After a long pause, she ended up gritting her teeth. Marik had taken an elevator alone and left her all by herself in the dismal hallway. She truly resented him now for it.

* * *

In her room, the female duelist took a nice long hot shower in her bathroom. They had about an hour or so to rest before the second duel began. Yugi had just got done succeeding in the first one. A nasty migrane of one it was, it started as the beginning of this treacherous tournament of Duel Monsters that was sure to only get worse.

Nilah didn't worry herself much over it though. Her only thoughts went to her feelings which desired considerably of peace and relaxation. She needed something to wipe the exhaustion from her disguise and music to wander her thoughts and feeling elsewhere. That's how it always worked for her. With her ipod plugged into a convienant radio nearby, she listened nonstop to her favorite songs and albums.

'Just Dance' was on now, once she stepped out of the warm shower. A nice dry towel draped around her frame, she took in the lyrics and began to sing the notes herself. Such a fun song, she thought secretly to herself as the beat repeated in her head.

She almost didn't realize it when there was a hard knock on her door. With the volume up on high, she was suprised she could hear anything at all.

* * *

The blond-haired Egyptian couldn't have been more shocked to see her - the way she was - than any one else. His eyes widened at her appearance, and the next thing he knew he was turning away. "Are you crazy?" he questioned her for the first time, embarrassed to have come at this time. But then again, the reason he had come at all was because of that blasted music!

She was a step away from a shrine of light, but he could still see the white piece of cloth wrappeed securely around her body and hair. Inside, everything was dark. And, from the look on her face she didn't seem phased.

"Well?"

"Oh so you're talking to me _now_," she muttered, cutting her eyes away and leaving him at her doorstep.

_How rude_, was his first thought when she headed back into the smoking bathroom. He hoped she had gotten his impression.

"I don't care!" She fumed in an uninterested sing-song tone.

He crossed his arms.

Oh Ra, what garbage is this? He turned his attention over to the banging noise that hurt his ears. Some slut bimbo was shouting drunks words and calling it music. He shook his head. Snapping the machine off, he was relieved to finally hear silence.

_Did I say you could turn that off? _He instantly heard in a grumbled tone.

He turned around to find his partner out from the extremely warm bathroom she was just in, and facing him dressed and with a grim face. Despite her strangely furious behavior, he found it amazing how she always found a way to cover her skin. Never, had he seen as much an inch of skin revealed with an exception with her face. Arms, legs, feet, everything was dressed in clothes mainly consisting of black.

Ignoring her thought, he turned his back to her about to make a leave. He didn't want to be here long. "Well, my being here is no longer needed." He was showing himself out the door when an instant rough beat of noise erupted his ears again.

He whirled around to find Sahar raising the volume back up to its usual stance. He fumed.

"I suggest you go somewhere else, Blondie," she warned, walking over to her bed with a white sketchbook nearby.

"What is that?" Unawarely, he pointed to the book that she took into her grasp once she sat down. Sitting up against the wall on the bed, she started to go through several pages of the object before reaching the one she wanted. Marik saw through her eyes an image of some supreme monster in full shape and form with detail. It amazed him that he never saw this kind of beast before in Duel Monsters.

Momentarily zoning out the horrible racket, the Egyptian boy stepped closer toward her, intrigued by the sight of this being. "What is the name of that creature?" he questioned.

She had the sketchbook leaning on her legs as they stood for her own personal desk. She kept it hidden from view, and seamed disturbed, to not yet realize he could see exactly what she saw by wish. When finally remembering, she simply guarded herself more. _Jackass_, she thought snobly.

"What colorful language," Marik found himself saying in a teasing tone. The boy, who now sat opposite her on the bed, leaned over now and plucked the sketchbook out from under her grasp.

"Hey!" She snapped.

With wondrous eyes, Marik gleamed down at the exquisite beauty of the creature drawn. Sketched beautifully, the creature certainly came to life. Its huge body stretched across the page extending into the very tip of its reptilian tail that had curved just slightly. Four legged, it was armed with a variety of thorns and spikes sprouting here and there, but mainly down from the back of its head, through the center of its back, and down to the last few inches of its large tail. The darted large eyes, the sharp teeth, scales, and body frame, every little detail clearly told him it was a dragon.

"Intriguing," he remarked, quietly astounded by the work and effort put into this piece. Thinking of Sahar, Marik could only think her efforts went as far as clothes, makeup, and things to say to him to drive him mad!

"I thought you were no longer needed here," the artist of the drawing growled furiously. She had folded her arms, as if expecting him to return her drawings to her at any moment.

He sneered, taking pleasure in her mild discomfort.

"Ironic, isn't it?"

She didn't say anything. "Aw, don't be like that, Sahar. What happened to that wild streak of yours?"

_You're taking pleasure in this, aren't you?_ she asked numbly. She didn't have to wait long to see the vigorous nod in his head and the light in his eyes.

_I hate you_, she remarked sinking deeper into the bed, her eyebrows furrowed.

He laughed, the first time he ever taken humor in the presence of this bizarre female he called his partner. "Well, then," the Egyptian carried on, taking light of the situation. Leaning closer toward the sullen girl, he took her chin and raised to just his eye level. It was the first time he was ever actually able to be himself around her. The part of him that was in control of everything and making sure he was the one to have fun on the account of the opposing ends' misery. In truth, he never thought this day would come.

"I guess that makes us even."

At that moment, a pair of bright emerald eyes met his and tried with difficulty to seek the meaning in his statement. After smirking wildly at her, her eyes grew wide once she understood completely what he was talking about. "Wait a second." She swiped his hand from her chin and sat up more agitated facing him. "Are you saying," she paused, taking a longer, harder look at him. "You mean just because I said that, now we both hate each other and that makes us _even?_"

He smirked again, letting her know that he was enjoying this. Standing back up and standing beside her with that mischevioius look on his face, he thought matter-of-factly, _That and because I find the look on your face right now just _adorable_._

She grumbled something untelligentable. "You know what Sherlock," she said steadily, "you can shove that thought up your-"

The intercom came on, "Will Raine Herring please report to the stratus field immediately. You will be dueling Weevil Underwood in the second round of the Semi-Finals Battle City Tournament."

Her face fell. _Already?_ Her train of thought faded. _Well, that was quick._

"Well, we have been here discussing matters for quite a while, Thief." He grinned.

For the first time at that moment, Sahar herself put on a smile, perhaps glad that he was talking with her again. He usually didn't call her Thief, the ridiculous nickname he had given her, unless he was mad.

Realizing the sketchbook was still in his arms, he took a second glance at the magnificent artwork. "Are you ever gonna tell me what the name of this monster is?" The thought of it was eating at him.

Glancing back in her direction, he found the girls' famous crooked smile beaming straight in front of him. She took back her sketchbook and placed it comfortably back under the pillows on her bed.

Then, she made her way across the room to turn off the insane music that had continued to beam through their ears. (Oddly, he had nearly forgotten all about it once they were about to leave-and the one playing had actually sounded surprisingly good.)

It wasn't until they were about to leave, finally, down the common, lit hallway, that the green-eyed girl suddenly glimpsed at him with a smile and thought, _I guess you'll have to wait to find out. _


	10. Humming for The Fun of It

His voice was stiff and abrupt. "What are you humming?"

Unaware of what was going on, Nilah stopped. It wasn't like her to randomly start humming silly little songs.

She swallowed. "Am I that bad?" decided to question instead, too fearful of being one to answer most questions.

Lucky enough for her, she had learned early on in their relationship that Marik was a sucker when falling into her change in subjects.

Replying awfully different, he said, "Well, you're a lot better than that fool of a duelist you like fooling around with."

Did that sound like actual kindness?

"Joey?" She asked, sounding confused. "I didn't know he liked humming."

He smirked. "I meant his voice in general."

She rolled her eyes, but could still catch a note of unexplained bitterness creeping up his voice. _What was he so jealous for_, she had to ask herself. She decided to push the subject more.

"You know, speaking of Joey, I was just thinking about giving him another round of my charm." She sneered. "Maybe, of course. I don't know whether to push it some more or - "

"You have feelings for him, don't you?" Marik interrupted with the same abrupt and stiff tone. This time, however, it seemed more cold and venomous.

But, Nilah didn't catch his question, stumbling over a presence she could feel was close. Her Millennium Item could reassure of that, before she spotted a large shadow across the other end of the hall where it appeared at the right corner of the beginning of another hall. It was there for just a second, and then vanished into thin air.

"What are you looking at?" Marik's cautious voice broke out.

She heard him this time and realized she had paused to stare at the temporary shadow. She gazed back up at Marik to see that he was following her gaze down the empty hallways. He didn't look at all pleased when he returned her stare.

"Nothing in particular," was all she said, continuing on to their destination. She was feeling slightly lazy at the moment, not wishing to explain the sight she could've just simply imagined in her own head. It was nothing, she told herself.

Silence only lasted so long after her reply, and Nilah no longer wanted to return to the subject on Joey, and instead decided to keep things simple. Noticing Marik was about to say something first, the green eyed girl beat him.

"How tall are you?" She asked, talking with absolute curiosity and innocence.

He glanced at her, with a look of solid suspicion and confusion on his face. It made her smile at her choice in question and add a 'well' to keep things amusing.

* * *

She ceased to amaze him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

She shrugged, acting as if it was the most normal thing in the world to say. "I'm guessing 5'11, since I'm 5'9."

He raised an eyebrow.

Then when his female companion looked up to observe his reaction, she laughed. He still couldn't understand what was so hilarious.

She covered her mouth from the laughter. "I'm sorry," she said, smoothly covering up the falseness of it. She let out another burst, before holding the side of her head as if it was about to fall off. "I think I had a little bit too much to drink earlier." She chuckled ridiculously. "_Caffeine makes me _crazy." She slurred at her last word.

This didn't at all find Marik amusing. "This had better not affect your dueling," he started to threaten. "I'm already putting up with the sober part of you, I am not about to deal with this hyper version of you!"

Sahar simply rolled her green eyes. "Relax Marik, I just had a little. No biggy. I'm still gonna win that stupid match. Gee, you're so serious!"

The young Egyptian was not fooled. He knew how Sahar could be, and a lot of the time it was inevitable to tell what she could do next.

Thus, the fact that this side of her could mean a real danger to his plan, Marik still couldn't avoid the fact at how awfully _adorable _this side of her could be. . .Sure, she could be foolish sometimes, but at the moment it just seemed she had no control over the silliness and glided simply through it with as much grace as a swimming fish. Secretly, he kept the amusing, cuteness of it all to himself.

Recalling their small conversation over Wheeler, however, it took as much as that to ruin the moment. Marik couldn't handle the thought of his female companion developing an unsettling relationship around his enemy's best friend. He knew for sure she was attractive, but not in the way that she would actually _feel _something for someone else. She wasn't that kind of person, he'd once thought.

He had figured she'd behave the way she was ordered to do around the stronger duelists in this tournament, and not feel a thing for any of them in the process. And yet, here she was clearly falling for not even an Egyptian God card holder at this time. (He didn't mean _himself - _of course - but of either Kaiba or the Pharaoh. . .)

_Oh Ra_, was he hopeless!

From humming silly little tunes to talking about further interacting with that idiot some more, Marik was speechless. Why was he even feeling this way? He should've been outraged with Sahar for not following up with her job, and yet at the same time he struggled trying to ignore these strange, but insomniac feeling going through him.

The entire time they walked through the hallway, Marik couldn't realize for a while that he was gazing, moronically, at her the few minutes she carried on about herself - up until humming that little tune. (He had felt relieved to have been just a few shy inches above her in height while it happened.) Then, when she'd brought up the boy, it was clear then that her mind had been on _him _the whole time.

He just wanted to shake his head at how ridiculous he was being. (But, even now it would have been dangerous to do so.) What was so great about her that made him feel this way? Overviewing her record, she was an absolute corrupt female who played by her own rules as well as other people's emotions. Except for the fact that she was stunningly beautiful, skilled at both acting and drawing, he didn't even _know _her that well. She didn't reveal much about herself, keeping her background and other insights deep and hidden. She appeared so outoging and open, yet when one really looked at her they would have to ask themself; who is she really?

Perhaps it was her past, that attracted him to her. Good secrets _were _always as alluring to people as spectacular beauty and charm.

* * *

Nilah knew she shouldn't have had that one soda back there hanging around in her room. It was an absolute crime to consume such a thing, and now she was paying the price for it. Never would she ever drink another soda if her life depended on it!

Now from what she could recall, though, the hyperness wouldn't last long. It was diminutive compared to all the other levels she wished she'd never experienced.

Talk about a disaster!

"Anyway," she called out, tired of the silence, as they stepped into an elevator, "what date is it - Ah!" She lost track of her feet.

Before the black-haired girl could, humiliatingly, land on her face, a pair of firm and bronze hands instantly caught the fall. Holding her by her arms, he set her swiftly back on to her feet. At that time, she couldn't place a common enough expression on her face before Marik could spot it. Nilah had been absolutely stunned and fearful.

"Oh Ra," he complained, stepping closer to her while keeping his hands locked to her arms. "You're an out right embarrassment to be around, you know that right?" He was catching her at her most frightened and insecure side. His voice mocking, Nilah caught him wearing the most sadistic smirk she's ever seen on his face.

She swallowed. "I take it you prefer clumsy girls then?" Her comeback was all together, but her voice came out unexpectedly loose and hesitant. She raised an eyebrow while glancing his body language up and down in attempt to cover - the flimsy - up.

She watched him once his strong smirk fell into a disgusted frown. He let her go then and stepped several steps away from her as if he realized now she was some kind of monster.

Nilah saw it though.

It seemed to unbelievable to be real, and the young duelist probably would've taken it for just another mistake had he not just helped her avoid a trip to the ground. Across his large, violet eyes, she saw a flash of impeccable weakness hiding something she knew could only add up to why he was so bitter of Joey. It all made sense now!

But, _why _was still a unclear mystery.

Marik wasn't speaking to her after that, although it was obvious the mood in the air was still much clearer than it had moments beforehand. If it hadn't, Nilah - hyper or not - probably would've taken into considation not continuing the now-annoying song she hummed throughout the rest of their onle time together. It became irradically irritating from the look on Marik's face, but amazingly satisfying to Nilah's spirits.

She _was, _nevertheless,about to face off in the next round of the semi-finals.

* * *

Hi, I hope you enjoyed. More is to definitely come, I have more juicy things to tell in store. If you have any questions or things to say please ask away:) And as always, please review lol

B.C.


	11. Weevil Vs Raine

**I don't own any of the yugioh characters. **

**Ok, I thought this was a little boring, but decided to post it anyway since it gives a good perspective of Nilah playing in my opinion. I'm not that good at describing the whole game in the process in my opinion. Plus, I made up so new cards bc I couldn't figure out some good enough cards for Nilah's deck - Weevils too, since his strongest card was taken by Joey. I think this chapter is kinda boring really, but it all leads up to some more exciting scenes. As well as hopefuly some more flashbacks. yay! Anyway, hope you can bear through this. **

"She's five seconds late!" The short, green-headed duelist shrieked unnecessarily.

He had been watching his large wrist watch obsessively, until the very second his opponent had left to enter was up. He jumped up and down now appearing childishly spoiled and arrogant now that he won a free pass to the next round.

"Yes, I get to continue on to the next round! I win! I win!" He started to snicker at how easy this semi-finals game was going along for him.

Then, stopping his small parade just shortly, the migit-sized geek cut his large bug eyes to the boss of this whole tournament. "Oh Kaiba, I think you should be announcing me the winner right now. My opponent is late and that means they lose and I get to go on." He folded his arms, expecting the great tycoon to grant his wish. "Well, Kaiba?" He questioned rather rudely.

At that moment, the only thing speaking was the eerie wind breeze whisking through like a sharp shriek. The clouds were fairly dark and the temperatures above was outstandingly chilly. Seto Kaiba stood on his side of the audience area and simply glared with folded arms at the much younger and persistent duelist who dared speak superior and smug to him.

He was frowning grimly and about to say something when the elevator doors opened and out came the two tall, dark-skinned competitors in his tournament.

* * *

"So sorry we're late," admitted the cocky and ambitious young duelist who was sounding awfully ashamed yet also innocent at the moment. Then, lying smoothly, she added, "The elevator was stopped up for a while."

When splitting from Marik's side, Nilah - who was playing Raine Herring - stepped onto the battle field seeing as how the tycoon had yet to say otherwise. Her opponent, on the other hand, was rambling on and on about how she was too late and he had already won.

Still, Nilah watched Kaiba waiting for him to give his say. She found it surprising how quiet he was being over something she would've thought he would've enforced full authority over.

"Get off the field, you stupid, tardy fool! I just said you lost, so get out of here!" He stabbed a cold, pale finger in her direction as if hoping someone might come and take her away. He began to grow impatient. "Kaiba, tell her to leave. Tell her she's lost already! What is wrong with you, you snotty, rich moron?"

At that moment, Kaiba gritted his teeth. Then, avoiding all stares directed his way, he announced grudingly, "I'm allowing you an extra thirty seconds to the time you were expected to arrive here, Herring. As for you, Underwood, you're just lucky I don't disqualify you and escort you and your deck out of here. Either one of you disrespect me or disobey my orders again, I will certainly make sure you make it back to Domino City before the end of this tournament." A fierce glare pierced onto Weevil. "And, that goes for all of you!"

Raine nodded, also watching Weevil aggressively. She was sure she was going to make her opponent pay.

* * *

Weevil laughed hysterically. "This is easier than I thought! Just keep playing those useless monsters, Herring!"

As for Sahar, she was continuing to put on a strange obscure look, and stay silent throughout the entire duel except for when she had to state the small details behind what she was playing. She was barely standing off with only a thousand points left while her opponent picked up an added five hundred. So far, he hadn't lost a point.

_I thought you said you were good at this game, _Marik thought bitterly once Weevil struck another of her weak monsters with his Infernal Lady Bug. Her Life Points plummeted to a low eight hundred.

_Are you in a hurry, Marik?_ She questioned amusingly, yet her expression remained in the midst of the duel as a solid mystery. She seemed to keep a short distance from him throughout the duel, making him feel even more frustrated with her inside their link of communication. He didn't like being held back.

Since now, all she seemed able to play are a couple of weak monsters and face down cards. And except for the few bystanders left, all the rest of them had been blown away. Marik started to grow agitated at the thought that this shouldn't have been a problem. He himself could've won easily against her opponent in half the time they were going at it now. That, and, the boiling idea that perhaps she had deceived him into thinking she was a skilled duelist player bothered him dearly. He couldn't stand the thought of having allowed a girl like her into his plan if she couldn't even add up to his standard. The urge of kicking himself was fresh in his mind now that it would've made sense to have tested her skills for himself. Even in her mind, he had yet to find out for himself if she really did win those six Locator cards or possibly flirted with any guy duelists into letting her give them to her. After knowing her for quite some time, that was a high possibility.

_If you're any good_, he thought impatiently, _finish him off now!_

"I play my faced down card, Pot of Green." She drew two cards from her deck.

Her other face down card was also summoned; it being Heavy Storm. Instantly, a massive whirl of wind bombarded the arena, erasing all of every trap and spell cards on the field. Once the tornado-like storm ended, all face-down cards were clear.

_You just destroyed two of your face-down cards_, Marik informed her sourly. But knowing her, she probably already knew that.

_I'm aware of that_, she replied, playing his theory correct.

Something told him he was better off not asking _why_.

"Now, I play this magic card. Give and Receive. This card will allow me to pick any magic or trap card I have in my deck as long as I discard two of my monsters." She went through the process and came out playing a magic card called Dragon Chamber. "Now in order for this card to work I must sacrifice a thousand life points."

"Uh, sorry to break it to you, deary," her opponent interrupted rudely, "-oh wait no I'm not!-It's just that before you go embarrassing yourself even more, you should probably be aware that you don't _have _a thousand life points to sacrifice." he snickered again, as if her blunt intelligence was amusing to him in some sort of way.

Marik would've expected his cocky partner to attack back, but after witnessing the majority of this duel already it was obvious Sahar wasn't one to bad mouth her opponents. He had learned later on in the duel that she didn't gloat, make remarks, or even act approximately close to the person he knew just an hour beforehand.

She simply frowned at his statement, but carried on in a simple tone of voice. "It's a good thing then I have this card with me. Now, because I don't have enough life points to sacrifice in order to use my magic card, I'll use _another _magic card to get them. I play Dian Keto The Cure Master. This magic card," she explained while setting it into play ,"will automatically increase my life points a thousand point so now I have enough to use my other card."

The card Dragon Chamber activated on the field, and Marik laid eyes on a strangely unfamiliar image of a large metal medieval-like door. Behind it was a voluminous box connected to it, but what was most odd was the fact that it was now moving threateningly-as if there something was in it.

"This is where the fun part starts," he was able to hear Sahar murmur just above a whisper. He was sure only Kaiba and him were lucky enough to hear it, given they were the ones closest to her side. She smiled gently, then announced, "Inside this Chamber I have my rarest card inside. He can only be summoned when there is another dragon on the field, or if I happen to play this card." She waited a moment, savoring the sweet, glorious look Weevil now posed on his expression. It was the kind of face Marik had been hoping to witness throughout the entire match. Weak, scared, and vulnerable, his true cowardly self showed. She was finally giving him what he wanted.

"So it is time."she said with a full load of confidence. "Green Eyes Eternal Dragon show yourself!"

In a miraculous transfer of scenery, a wave of smoke suddenly conquered the field. Marik wasn't sure about anyone else, but although they couldn't see a thing, he was certain there was now a seductive monstrous beast standing before them on the field.

Once the clouds clear, all eyes awed over the giant beast. It towered over nearly four stories high, and overwhelmed the entire left side of the field with its reptilian body structure. It nearly glowed with a dark tent of blue scales and spikes. But, no one could miss the outstanding green eyes that glowed upon the magnificent creature. Glaring threateningly before Weevil, it was certainly prepared to attack.

So he finally got to witness his partner's rarest card, Marik thought observantly. It stood no match against his, nor the others', god cards, but still it was a fantastic sight.

He repeated the dragon's name back to himself, aware that this was the first time he ever heard of such a monster. Taking in a longer look at the beast, it was simply to relate this beast to the same one he discovered from her sketchbook. So this was what she meant when she said 'you'll see' when he asked her for a second time on what the name of the creature was.

Filled with a sudden surge of relief and happiness, Weevil exclaimed, "Ha!" The young Egyptian turned to face the short, mind-boggling duelist and found him strangely delighted. "That reptile is no match for my Inferno! It's still five hundred points weaker than mine! So much for it being your most rarest, powerful card!" he laughed.

"I was just getting to that," Sahar luckily relieved him just in time. She continued, "Yes, it is a slight bit weaker, but it's not just its attack points that make it my most significant card; It's his special ability." A stuttering chill broke out amongst the field. "You see, Green Eyes is known for growing more powerful for every magic _and _monster card either played and or discarded from my hand throughout this game. Now, Mr. Mathematician, can you remember exactly how many of those cards are now withdrawn?"

Like a child, he began counting his fingers.

"Eight," she answered for him. "Eight of those cards. So in case you were wondering _why _there were no trap cards played on my part, that's the reason." she scoffed. "Anyway, eight of those cards are now in the graveyard. But, they did not go to waste. For that total amount, my Green Eyes will gain a thousand attack points for each of those cards. Making it, to my understanding, at 11,000 attack points and stronger than your Inferno. And since you don't have anything to defend your monster, I would say my farewell to it now, Weevil."

"Wait no!" the green haired boy cried, now lost in both confusion and denial. "No! This can't be! I-I was winning! You had only a few life points left!" His eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's right," she said, sounding as if she had just about grown tired of his lack of respect in her. "Now my Green Eyes, wipe out his Inferno Lady Bug and the rest of his life points!" Marik watched with delight the great dragon now as it flew with swift speed and stealthiness over to the other side, where it then slashed into dust the insect monster as well as all of Weevil's untouched Life Points.


	12. A Long Night

**I don't own yugioh or any of the characters. **

For well into the night, the gang and Nilah celebrated her victory. It was well deserved in her prospect, but in addition it gave her a chance to know the others better. (Well, the Pharaoh, mainly.)

In the Pharaoh's room, the compartment was stocked with food and drinks. Nilah avoided the sodas as much as possible, until the dreadful toast to both the Pharaoh and Nilah on their wins were announced. She had no choice then. . .

Now after her tenth drink or so, Nilah was wasted on the small couch sitting awfully close to Joey. She had tried earlier to reach the Pharaoh, but gave up when it was near impossible to talk with him alone without so much as a nagging girl right by his side. It seemed she wasn't the only one trying to attract his attention. At the moment, she was fooling around with his buddy, seeing as it would be a while until she could meet with the King of Duels in private.

Not long did it take her to finish off another carbonated drink. Leaning against her friend, she gazed at him like she was lost pup in his eyes. He returned her gaze, but appeared so much more genuine than her with emotions she could clearly find displayed across those brightly lit blue orbs.

"Tell me, Wheeler," she said, in _love _with referring him by his last name, "how long have been playing Duel Monsters?"

He smiled. "Not long actually. About over a year or so. I wouldn't have made it this far though if it wasn't for my buddy Yugi, though."

She returned the false joyful expression. "I can't wait to see you play," she carried on. "I want to know what your rarest card is."

He laughed, telling her he's been lucky enough to pick up several rare cards from the decks of other elite duelist whom he managed to beat in the process of this tournament. "But, my most favorite one is gone now." He went into detail about his absent Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"Aww," she whimpered, pathetically, "that sucks. I'm sure you can win it back from Yugi soon though I hope."

He agreed.

At that moment, her exquisite green eyes lit up with an idea. She smiled widely now and even made Joey's spirits rise some from the sudden change. Instantly, grabbing his hand, she dragged him up off of the couch with fierce force.

"Where are we going?" he asked, cautious.

She grinned. "Just a walk," she said simply.

For about twenty minutes the two walked alone away from the crowd and throughout the empty halls of the blimp. She brought him somewhere deep into the flying contraption until it was just dimly lit and closing in on complete darkness.

"Come on, Raine," Joey eventually stated, looking tedious around the foreign settings, "Lets go back now."

"Oh relax," Nilah cooed, saying the same thing she had mentioned to Marik earlier today, but with much more seducing venom. Once holding onto his hand, she upgraded to his forearms with both hands and lightly knocked him into the wall beside them. They were staring wildly at each other now, and the black haired girl, playfully stepped closer to him decreasing whatever space that was left between them. Their mouths just almost touched when she said in a light voice - much like honey, "We'll play a game first, okay?" She expressed a crooked smile. "And then, we can go back."

Seeing her bold intentions, Joey gladly agreed. At that moment, Nilah took a step back from him and smirked knowingly at him, before suddenly throwing a bizarre punch his way. Once it hit his shoulder, she screamed childishly, "You're it!"

Like a greyhound, she sprinted off and was out of sight before Joey got a chance to process through what all was going on.

In the meanwhile, Nilah was bypassing as many corners and rooms as possible. The area she had come upon now was a solid dark that she was just fortunately able to see through somewhat. After a good ten minutes or so of hiding from Joey under the vigorous darkness, she could hear his fast paced footsteps crossing her path. Springing back into a run, she cornered as much distance as she could.

Finally, pausing for just a moment, she hid behind one dark corner before peeking just slightly around her covered path to make sure she knew where Joey was crossing. Then when she didn't spot him, she was just about to continue forward, there was a sudden, white pair of arms wrapped around her. She would've screamed, but a hand had already covered her mouth. Then, when she was turned around the hand that was once covering her mouth descended down her chin in force of lifting her eyes up to see the vague silhouette of Joey Wheeler. There wasn't another second left to stare, when Nilah felt an astoundingly melting, and tender mouth clash with hers.

Grasping his tall, lanky body closer to her, she brushed the mop of his blond hair back and happily returned the kiss. It was the most intense thing she ever felt in her life! (At least, one that didn't involve her in pain.)

It felt like forever until Nilah heard a distant voice approach closer. "Joey?" It was female, and sounding greatly disturbed. Joey broke their kiss to look in the direction of the voice. "That's Serenity," he said, letting go of Nilah completely.

The reactioin stung her.

Gazing back at her, there was a look of deep regret and desperation. "I have to go see her."

If it wasn't so dark, he would've easily seen how outraged the girl was. But, from how she spoke next, no one would've ever known. "It's okay. I'll go." She was about to leave in the other direction when she felt a tug in her arm. Joey held her back looking faintly cheerful, "We'll meet later?"

She agreed with a nod, and then left him to hunt down his sister. Stupid wrench! She hated the snotty female for having disrupted her impeccable moment. She had been having a blast.

Nilah would've kept complaining in her mind about the girl if it hadn't been for her murky head. She scratched it incessantly now as if something inside it was bugging her. Her thoughts and actions were not at all in order once she struggled to find a way out of the dark maze.

After a good while of tripping over her feet and running into walls, Nilah was as good as lost until a fresh pair of firm hands finally caught her for the second time that day. _What?_ Was her first thought when she felt like something was amiss. And then, she looked up to see the Egyptian duelist who was growing strangely accustomed to rescuing her from her clumsy falls.

* * *

_"Anthony!" She cried, heartbreakingly. "Anthony stop!"_

_He was still holding her in his arms, rushing them both as far off from that place as possible. "Nilah quiet," he demanded, using a sort of tone she never heard him apply before. It chilled her to the very bone.. _

_Her body both nauseated and numb, Nilah had never felt this bad before. Images continued rushing through her and succeeding in crippling her poor and fragile state. _

_Finally, she just couldn't take it anymore. _

_"Anthony STOP!" Whether meaning to or not, Nilah jumped out her brother's arms and fell onto her knees. _

_She could just vaguely hear him cry her name then when she began the vomiting. Only rarely did she ever throw her food back up, but this was the first time that she ever contributed to such an act because of some images. Incredibly vile and pain-staking images!_

_When she was finally done, the black-haired girl fell back on her backside too nauseated still to think straight. The images were still crossing the girl every now and then, reminding her that this was all not a dream. It wasn't until Anthony stepped into her sight that she realized she was crying. _

_"Anthony?" She whispered. The way he looked now, even under this massive sheet of darkness, somehow complied her to keep her voice to a minimul. _

_Her brother now, so tall and strong, was sitting a few feet apart from her crumbled into a sitting position. His face hidden in his hands, he sat as if he was trying to avoid a panic attack. Trying to stay calm, Nilah slowly approached him forgetting momentarily of all the horrific images surrounding her. Behaving as if she was about to soothe a fearful beast, the small girl just lightly touched her big brothers arm. He didn't move, but that didn't mean anything. Her other arm touched his and just slowly she integrated into embracing his entire stiff body. _

_It wasn't like him to be this quiet and sullen. He was usually the stronger one of them both - and often times Nilah looked up to him for that. Nevetheless, she couldn't deny him this means of hurt. After everything that had just happened she would've been astounded if her brother managed to remain calm. _

_He eventually told her he was sorry for not listening. Returning her warm embrace, he then told her everything would be okay. He would fix things up and make sure neither of them got into trouble. It was no one's fault, really, but both siblings knew how cruel and manupilative the world could be. Anything could happen now at this point in time. Watching the suffocating clouds of smoke rise up in the night air, brother and sister both sat with the most substantial memories that would mark then forever. Literally, engraved with tragic wounds and markings, their father had achieved in leaving them both reminded of him._

_Quietly paranoid, Anthony felt it was now time to get going. He was appearing rather shaky at the moment and perhaps even sensitive. Grasping onto her hand - the one wearing the Millennium Item - he began to tug her in the opposite direction from the fire. They headed north amongst the mild woods area. City life would appear soon in no more than a mile or so. By then, the black-haired boy would have figured out some way to deal with all of this. _


	13. Unforgivable Scars and Wounds

**I don't own yugioh or any of the characters. **

Even in the dark, she could spot his creepy smirks. "Still stumbling, I see."

If it was any other day, the girl would've simply made a smart remark back. But, now as she remained both wasted and exhausted (now after wandering around for quite a while lost) she could only laugh. "Ha, I've been stumbling for a while now," she laughed ridiculously.

It was so bad, she had to lean on Marik further to keep from falling. Strangely, the boy held on to her protectively.

She continued laughing while muttering silly things, when Marik said calmly, "Come on. Lets get you to your room."

The Egyptian boy had been at the party the entire time chatting with different people, while at the same time keeping a watchful eye on Nilah, as she engulfed herself with too many sodas. It was amazing how addicted she was to those things and how out-of-it she could get from the different stages he watched her venture.

Even with Wheeler, he was surprised she went through with it fooling around with him in the depth of darkness. He was there when she walked aimlessly down the halls with him, and when she finally stuck her mouth into his. He was just leaving when he heard some girl calling for Joey and glimpsed him walking with her - while Nilah was still somewhere about the utter blackness.

So here he was now, helping this wasted female to her room as she stumbled here and there for no apparent reason and making foolish giggling noises while on the way. One thing was for sure, he learned from this experience: Never drink a carbonated drink.

"Here we are." Marik finally said, stepping her slowly into the cool, comfortable room. He helped her all the way to her bed until she finally simply gave out on the large mattress. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the girl was still attached to him. And then with a greedy smile, she jerked him down onto the bed next to her. Holding him close and uncomfortably by his collar, she asked thinly, "_What time is it_?"

He replied, "One thirty a.m."

That's when her emerald eyes widened and then she released him from her hold. "Wow. That's late."

He was just rubbing the part of his neck where she was retraining when the female yawned then rubbed the back of her head tediously. (Her hair was a mess now because of it.)

She yawned again. "I'm so tired now."

"Good," he said, sounding relieved and slightly tired himself. He was about to stand up when Nilah struggled to remove her boots, complaining about it being hot.

If it were any other person, Marik would've had no problem simply leaving the room and thinking them completely pathetic. Nilah, however, made it all seem different.

"_It's so hot in here_," she continued to complain, successful in taking off one boot and then the other one quickly after.

She began to wine childishly once she tried unbuttoning her tight leather jacket.

"I'm hot!" She cried, warm tears trailing down her bronze face.

Marik couldn't take it any longer, leaning in closer to her, then unbuttoning the thick leather jacket and removing it from her body for her. Underneath, she was wearing another two layers of shirts both covering her every inch of skin. Ra, no wonder she was so hot!

Still struggling to taking off the attire, Marik felt it was only necessary to do it for her shortly after. He went as far as the second shirt and then simply ended it from there for two reasons. One: He didn't think there was any need stripping her completely naked. And two: He was stunned at the amount of scars marking her upper body.

She sighed a sigh of relief. "That feels _so _much better." Taking a glance down at her appearance - only wearing her black pants and laced bra - she also noticed the scars and bruises stuck to her body. "Oh, there they are," she said, sounding as if she had lost them. "I almost forgot I had those." she began to chuckle softly.

Then, she quickly pointed to a thinly sharp line laced down her shoulder. "That," she explained in a highly humorous tone, "I got for not staying still long enough for when my dad marked me."

She pointed to another on the other arm, shaping symbols he was unable to read under the dark. "My dad gave me that one."

Soon after, she began to point to all the kinds of different marks and symbols printed on her skin - that were visible - and were stated clearly to have come from her father.

Like a child, she would call them out each and every one as if they were a gift. "And he gave me that one. That one. And, that one."

Nilah got to about five of them, when she suddenly stopped and dropped both her hands. Marik looked up from her scarred body to find her amused face transformed into a look of sorrow. She started to cry. What she said next, astounded him even more.

"I hate my father," she said in a low muffled tone.

At that moment, she covered her face and fell down on top of the pillows.

_I should leave_, Marik thought quietly to himself watching his once cocky and talented companion crumble now before him. He was slowly distancing himself from her, when Nilah mentioned someone.

"Where is he?" She asked.

She repeated the same question in a whispered cry. "I miss him! I miss him so much!"

Something inside of Marik at that moment ceased him from leaving the room. The boy regarded her carefully, unable to look away from the sadness of it. And then he once again returned back to her, laying down next to her, and watching her as she kept her hidden face covered under her hands.

For some reason, the intensity of this scene brought him back to the memory of his own father. He then began to realize how alike both their dads really were to their children. After seeing her scars, both fathers had laid a permanent mark on their bodies. Both children hated and despised the very thought of them. And now, both of them started to shed tears over them for reasons _they _couldn't even understand.

Knowing, from sure experience, that this wasn't an easy thing to go through alone, Marik unknowingly ran his arms under Sahar's body and pulled her closer toward him. She fell into his chest like a small child, sobbing longingly and holding him as closely as possible. For someone he found slightly irritating at times, it felt like only instinct to show mercy on the norotic girl from having shared the same history.

* * *

Now after holding her for quite some time, Marik had finally heard the sound of sleep come upon Sahar.

Silence filled the air, yet Marik wasn't as lucky yet to have falling into a depth of deep slumber. Too exhausted, he couldn't even bring himself up to untangle his arms from his partners' body.

Wait no.

The truth was he didn't _want _to do it - for he felt just fine where he was. Even with the warm tears still trickling down his bronze face from the thought of his father, the Egyptian was comfortable being this close to the sleeping girl. For some reason, the embrace had benefited him as well.

Not thinking once what the coming morning would bring them, Marik eventually fell unconscious in probably one of the most peaceful nights of his life.

* * *

Reviews pleeasse:) If so, I'll update the next chapter as _soon _as possible!


	14. Awkward Morning

**I don't own yugioh or any of the characters. **

**I don't own yugioh or any of the characters. **

Nilah didn't know whether it was the puzzling blurring sound of a shower going on or the pain in her head that was the culprit to waking her up from a decent night's sleep. She sat up from her spot on the bed and began rubbing her amazingly tangled head.

Oh Ra, it feels as if something was wrapped in my mind and keeps tightening!

"You're up finally," a sudden, yet familiar voice said.

Too much in pain to look up, she had to take a moment to recognize her visitor's voice as Marik. What on earth was he doing in her room taking a shower?

"Well you wouldn't let me leave so I just stuck here for the night. Hope that's not a problem." His voice was its usual self. Clever, cocky, and unbelievably annoying at the moment.

She was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about when she felt him approach closer and say, "You know, you're a pretty well-rounded girl. Making out with one guy and then sleeping with another. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a tramp." He smirked.

_What?_

"You don't remember, do you?" He carried on in an easy going mood. "Last night was, I admit, very interesting."

Both her green eyes shot up in shock, now, as fear struck for what the meaning of his sentence implied. She didn't think to answer his question with a change in subject when she asked weakly, "Did we. . .have sex?"

The way she said it brought along a cheerful chuckle on Marik's part. She couldn't dare face him at the moment. Although she could just vaguely remember anything, all she could say for sure was that there was a high possibility that Marik slept with her.

"That's a good question, Tramp." he said, enjoying the moment very. "How about you tell me?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"Aw," he teased, behaving very much the same way Nilah would if she were in that position, "No? Come on, enlighten me Sahar! Tell me as much as you remember."

"Stop it," she demanded, closing her eyes while trying to endure the massive headache running through her head. It felt much worse than the misery Marik was trying to hand her - and him torturing her wasn't helping any.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" he carried on with ease. "Who's the '_he_' you keep mentioning?"

Embracing the solid pain that struck her once she removed her hand from her head, Nilah looked up at her partner who was now dressed from the shower and carried a damp mop of blond hair. It almost distracted her from the striking smirk that appeared on his face.

"What are you talking about -" she gasped.

There could've only been one person who she would've dreamed of and it was no one on this blimp. Immediately, she leaned against her knees holding her hurting head with both hands that rested on her legs.

Him. She couldn't dare bring his name about and wouldn't if she had anything to do about it. Knowing Marik, he was already trying to prowl inside her in order to find out. In fact, she could feel it. It was like an unwelcome invasion that felt like ill liquid tainting all across her pure mind.

She couldn't take it anymore. The thought of her very own privacy, as far as her personal connections, uncovered was too much of a disaster to happen. She could allow her true self to disembark, her past background concerning her father and the terrible things he did to her on some occasions. But, him no!

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

She hadn't realized until the soreness in her throat ached that she had hollered it aloud. Unaware of the striking burst of energy that erupted through her, Nilah jumped up, charging towards Marik with a furious look of determination across her face.

The energy certainly had surprised him, as Marik now caught himself pinned to the wall behind him. Nobody but a golden aura of energy was the source of this result. That wasn't the only concern he regarded himself over, as he now watched with wide eyes his partner marching toward him, her Millennium Bracelet glowing magically.

Her beautiful emerald eyes no longer the fresh green color they once were, Marik stared into a pair of solid, black orbs foreign to his memory.

It was so bizarre, he didn't even realize it when Nilah pushed a dangerously strong hand against his throat. Her voice unfamiliar even to him, she threatened, "Get. Out. Of. My. Head!"

It was like a different person now speaking to him. Instead of the once humorous, cocky, deceitful young girl who teased him constantly over petty things, he was now faced with a being so foreign before him he felt as if it was not of this world.

"I said get out of my head!" The same thundering, monstrous voice that shouted so ferocious it chilled even Marik's conscious. The pressure on Marik's throat increased dangerously.

"All right, all right," he surrendered, unaware now if he was still even poking through her closed mind. "I'm not in your mind anymore, Sahar. Let me go now."

"Sahar?" he asked, once the energy surrounding him ceased. The girl was staring blankly at him with black eyes.

He was almost afraid to touch her when he accidently rested his hand on her chin. At that moment, the trance ended and Sahar blinked away the black orbs once replacing her beautiful green eyes.

After shaking her head constantly as if trying to shake something off, Sahar looked up at Marik angrily and shoved him back against the wall with hold of his collar. He wasn't going to have any decent shirts left if she kept ruining his collars!

"No more peeking inside my head," she said viciously to his face. "I'm not one of your little toys you can play with whenever you want. Do it again and you'll regret it."

When she asked him if he understood, he nodded once and she released him from her hold completely. A foot apart, Marik watched her carefully slightly paranoid she might try and attack him again.

She wasn't looking at him while the silence lengthened. It was off to the side, until she eventually returned his gaze with decent eyes. He didn't know what to expect yet, until she suddenly held onto her head once again from some sort of pondering headache.

"Ow!" she complained. Bracing herself to look back up at him, she snapped, "What are you looking at? Go get me some painkillers!"

Everything he had been planning since early morning was dust now. His chance for both redemption and joy had backfired, but not for the both of them. It was clear no one won in this intense occurrence between the two teens. Sahar was clearly going through a sick migraine of some sort probably from the drinks, and Marik was embarrassed with himself for everything that had gone on in the last five minutes.

Deciding to grant Sahar's wish - again- he went searching for painkillers not only to make peace with her for the time being, but to also make a leave out of the room as soon as possible.

All he knew now, as he went back to his room retrieving some of his own painkillers, that he needed on occasion, was that something went wrong with his partner. It wasn't normal for her to bark at him in that tone and with the support of her Millennium Item. The only time he had even seen it glow the way it did was the first time he met her down the dark empty roadway back in Domino City.

And her eyes. . .

Something definitely wasn't right there. But, before he could go into theories about what it could've been, his mind went back to the slightest reason why she could've even blown off like that at all. She kept telling him to get out of her head. Yes, he was trying to peek inside and try to retrieve some sort of detail about what was going on. Did she think it was because of him reading through it that made her have a headache? Possible.

And, then he recalled the last thing he said before she went biserk. He mentioned something about the male she often muttered about whether asleep or under that wasted spell. Was she being protective of that person? Was he the reason she ordered him to get out of her mind? Hmm.

If so, it would surely make sense. Whoever he was, and Marik was highly sure, it wasn't Joey or anyone on this blimp. She was being greatly cautious and alert about him in order to make sure he never found out. The thought of this made Marik want to learn more. Positive it had nothing to do with her 'father', he wanted dearly to find out.

But, with how things were going now, he would be lucky at all if she even spoke to him.


	15. Tension on The Rise

He knocked on the door. "Hey Thief," he greeted, deciding to abandon the whole 'tramp' name for now. "Knock, knock."

"Do you have the painkillers?" she asked stiffly.

Marik stood outside her bathroom door inside her bedroom. "Maybe," he answered, cheerfully. "You're gonna have to open the door to find out though."

"First answer me something." she demanded.

He exhaled, as if what she was wanting was asking a lot. "We didn't have sex if that's what you're wanting to know." He smirked at his answer, knowing she would find it uncomfortable.

It fell silent for another few seconds before Sahar finally spoke next. Her voice was irritated. "_I _meant _how much did you see_?

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The door instantly flew open and Sahar burst through the room backing him up across the wall. She lifted the sleeves in her thick jacket, revealing a number of the horrific marks imprinted on her arms. "_These! _How much of _these _did you see?" Her eyes flashed back with furious aggravation.

He stared at the cryptic markings. In the fresh, white light that now beamed through the room, Marik was now able to read what was written on her skin. It shocked him at what he saw. "Are those - Hyroglephics?" He asked dumbly.

His question caught her off guard. "What?" Her eyebrows furrowed. Without taking her eyes to glance at her arm, she answered, "Of course they are."

He looked up at her now. "Do you know what it means?"

She seemed insulted. "Of course I know!"

"You do?" He hesitated, having also been caught off guard.

That's when she unrolled her sleeves again, covering up the furthest inch of skin that contained a mark. She was dismal. "That and including a few other languages. I wasn't raised a peasant."

"Now," she said, returning back to the original subject, "since my memory is doing my no justice, the only thing I can recall is you taking off my clothes. Now, tell me again, how much did you see?" She folded her arms. The female was dressed in another new outfit, but covered again in a large heavy trench coat. When he looked into her eyes, Marik also noticed an extra dose of eyeliner spread across her face. She looked like a wretched raccoon.

"What difference does it make?" he finally exasperated, raising his arms. "It was dark last night for Ra's sake! If you didn't want me to see anything than you should've thought twice about wasting yourself on all those drinks! If it wasn't for me Ra knows where you'd be right now!"

"Oh that's rich!" She backfired fiercely, "Coming from a little perv like you! What? Did you think you would get lucky with me the way I was!" She started to bark an unruly laughter. "I bet I scared you, didn't I? My marks too much for you? Couldn't make it to home base? I'd bet my virginity that that's the only reason why you even _had _me come along with you on this stupid mission of yours!"

So much went through Marik's mind at that time he didn't know what to think. She's still a virgin? She thought he was trying to take advantage of her?

Before he could think of any way to explain himself, Sahar had already snatched his painkillers from his hand and rushed back to the bathroom.

"Hey!" He shouted, realizing he never got a chance to contribute to the argument. He ran into a shut door, but he wanted to make himself clear; he wasn't done with her yet! "That's not what happened, Sahar! Damn it, open up!"

"Go away!"

"I'm not leaving until you come out-" he trailed off, once the door knob clicked open. Success!

He figured, she had forgotten to lock to door, when Marik marched in and found Sahar on the floor of the bathtub. Her head was leaning on the wall beside, with pills going in her mouth every few seconds. Facing her, he was surprised she didn't take notice of his presence. She simply kept her gaze on the wall in front of her, behaving like he wasn't even there.

"I said go away," she said in a voice that sounded much like depressed shame. She took another dose of painkillers.

At that moment, Marik knelt down beside her, and snatched the close-to-empty pill bottle. He became depressed himself at the low amount of pills he had left, yet his voice didn't reflect it. Sounding incredibly like himself, he said, "Besides, you can't get rid of me that easily." She should know that by now anyway, remembering the very beginning of their relationship where he tracked her down until the time to find her.

"How's your head?" He asked, seeing as she was still rubbing her head and keeping her eyes closed.

"Why do you care?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

He shrugged, even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Because," his voice was simple, "it's not as fun teasing you when you're already in pain." Which, in fact, was true.

He spotted a small smile across her face.

"Just to let you know," she finally said, after a shrilling minute and a half later, "you probably wont be granted with the pleasure of seeing me that revealing again any time soon. I'm looking at never so soak it in while you still can, Ishtar."

He smirked. "Oh I will, Thief. It's not that often I see a girl strip her clothes off for me."

She gave him a dirty look. "Maybe because most girls take _you _for a girl also."

"We're talking about you, sweetheart." He said sweetly, although he couldn't hide the burn.

"Well, I want to talk about you," she said in a stubborn tone.

"I'm not as interesting as you."

"According to you," she argued. "For all I know, there's more to you than you make it seem. . ."

"And who says, you're any different?" He smiled deviously and then spoke in a foreign tongue. "Why don't you start with your plans?"

Her eyes flashed before him from the familiar, yet cryptic tongue he spoke in. Her voice perfectly fluent, but cautious, she said, "None of your business."

His eyebrows hardened, but he continued speaking. "There's gotta be a reason why you're on your own."

She finally admitted something. It surprised him at one point what, but he could feel the honesty in it. "Probably for the same reason you're no longer home."

"And, how is that?"

"Well, I don't know the whole story, but I'm sure you left not on the account of your own will. There's gotta be a reason that tempted you to leave and make it to where you are now."

This he never thought of.

She looked down now when she asked, "You didn't do anything to me last night, did you?"

"What? Have sex?" he questioned, chuckling. It was about time they talked about it.

"Stop saying it!" She snapped, "It's so awkward."

"You mean sex?" he questioned with a smart smirk. "You don't have a problem talking about sex, but you have a problem saying the word sex." he laughed; the look on her face was hilarious!. "You humor me, Thief. You go around fooling around with guys and that stupid twit, Wheeler, but you can't even face the word 'sex' around anyone!"

"I'm taking it as a no," she said, concluding his answer swiftly. "Good, now I can still act like a slut without really ever being one again." She smiled knowingly.

"I've got to say," he said, appearing awfully impressed with her, "I'm surprised you're still a virgin."

She stood up, and he helped her out of the white bathtub. Then walking over to the mirror across, she said, "And, I'm surprised you care." Pretending none of it made a big deal, Sahar then started to brush through her long hair. "Look, what time is?" She asked.

"Almost time for the next duel," he replied, confused as to why was still messing with her appearance. She looked flawless.

"Good," she said. "I want to see who's up next."

Marik looked at the girl in the mirror. "Why? So you can route for your boyfriend?"

Sahar didn't seem phased. "He's not my boyfriend." She denied. "If I get a chance I'm going have a small chat with Kaiba."

"Oh please," Marik protested, "You've had plenty of time to get to the Pharaoh and Kaiba."

"It's not that easy, Blondie," she defended with savage umbrage. "Those two are always attached to someone. The Pharaoh: Tea. And Kaiba: his little brother. It's nearly impossible to separate those pairs."

"Well, I suggest you find a way. We don't have that much time."

She turned away from the mirror now, facing Marik. "What do you mean? We've just gone through two duels."

"I mean haven't you noticed yet how much more intense this tournament has been getting with each duel." He was being greatly serious now.

"I can get the first one, but the second one?" She raised an eyebrow.

"If you were paying any attention beforehand, you would've noticed how terrified the other duelists were of you. I can guarantee you, no one found you serious the first time before you set foot on that field. But you proved them all wrong once you destroyed that fool. You don't realize it when you just set the goal much higher for those competing in this tournament."

"Oh really?" She asked, placing a hand on her small hip. "Did I set the goal higher for you then?"

"All duelists please report to the commons area in five mnutes. The third round of the tournament will be competing shortly."

Marik took that distraction purposely as an excuse to avoid Sahar's question. Dancing his gaze over to the intercom, he said, "From the looks of it, you appear ready." After brushing through her hair a hundred times, one would think so. "I take it we're feeling better then?"

She nodded, then wondered, "Wouldn't it be just ironic if you and Joey were playing in the next round?"

At the sign of her smile, it was clear the pills truly were starting to take affect, as Sahar was steering slowly now back to her original - petulant - self. Marik, however angst, took it back harmlessly. "We'll see, wont we?"

In the end, the name that did fall out belonged to him. Marik Ishtar was called out, yet the mischevious young man stayed silent. His brother, Odion, instead took the rep for his identity, therefore taking the hit for both his faults and history. Most of the gang members booed at the name and glared daggers at the tall, frightening dark man they mistook for Odion's deceptive younger sibling.

The real Marik couldn't have bothered no less. Keeping his arms crossed, he stayed near his companion, Sahar, pretending that this was nothing concerning him at all. The only thing that did cross him as bothersome, was the fact that his companion didn't relieve him at all of a stare that clearly struck him as a knowing one. She knew the truth about the two brothers, but swore she wouldn't admit anything to anyone. That didn't mean her looks couldn't also be forwarning, however.


End file.
